Rise of the Dragon
by judodave
Summary: Rewritten version of my first fic Shaddow of the Scourge: New York City is well known for its Superhero activity but for two teenagers their world is about to take a turn for the super, for better or worse.
1. Rise of the Dragon

Trigger warning for a certain scene in the chapter.

The city of New York was as busy as it ever had been, traffic roamed the streets and the local super population had been as busy as ever either fighting crime or causing it, but it was on this hot spring day that the lives of two residents would be changed forever.

"Katrina are you ready yet?" A Chinese woman's voice rang out from the other side of the teenager's door and the Chinese girl glanced up as she put her top on, standing at five foot six Katrina was an athletic girl with shoulder length black hair and brown eyes who was currently getting ready for school. "Your going to be late for school!"

"I'm dressed mom, just grabbing my things." Katrina sighed in response before going over the stuff she needed in her head. _"iPhone? Check, textbooks? Check dawdles of who I'd be if I was a superhero?"_ Katrina thought as she glanced down at the drawings in her notebook and sighed. _"Super Strength, Flight, ability to breathe fire without burning the insides of my mouth and a genius level IQ? As awesome as that would be I don't see me getting super smart overnight."_ The eighteen-year-old thought with a sigh before putting her school stuff in her backpack and pocketing her iPhone and charger. _"The other abilities though? Yeah, that would be awesome!"_

"Katrina Sheng Lao, I would like to remind you that we are no longer living in a small town!" Katrina's mother's voice rang out and Katrina winced before quickly opening the door. "You'll have to walk to school but fortunately it's not that far from the restaurant." Katrina's mother added, and Katrina sighed.

"Well, it was your idea to move here and open up a Chinese restaurant mom." Katrina reminded her, and her mother nodded. "Can't blame me for still being used to the old routine."

"Old routine or not, I still expect you to make a good impression on your first day at mid-town high." Her mother responded before stepping aside to let her daughter pass. "And if that boyfriend of yours comes by to pick you up, remind him that he still has to pay you back for that incident."

"Marco's not my boyfriend!" Katrina asserted with a furious blush and she turned to her mother. "He just happens to be a boy who's my friend! Besides, he paid me back last week!"

"If you say so dear, I still think you two make a cute couple." Katrina's mother responded, and Katrina rolled her eyes before her ringtone went off and she answered it.

"Hello? Oh, hey Marco!" Katrina answered before turning her attention away from her mom. "Your waiting outside? Great, see you outside."

"You say he's not your boyfriend, yet you have his phone number?" Katrina's mother asked with a knowing grin and Katrina shook her head.

"Yeah, him and several other boys who I know through Facebook." Katrina responded before heading off. "Can't talk, got to go meet Marco!"

"Be safe Katrina!" Her mother called out to her before her daughter disappeared from site. _"New York City might be a lot bigger than the town we lived in, but I don't think things will change too much."_ Katrina's mother thought as she grabbed a broom and started brushing through her daughter's room stopping a moment to look at a family picture on the wall taken from when Katrina won her last athletic competition. _"Katrina's at school, her father has started his job with the local police force, sure there's a lot more superheroes here but I doubt we'll run into them."_

*meanwhile outside*

"Come on Kat, I don't want to be late." Marco muttered under his breath as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, he was taller than Katrina and off Italian heritage with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes, whilst he was a handsome guy for sure he wasn't as athletic as Katrina was which was mostly owed to him being in IT class. _"Great, first day in New York and we're already late, at least I passed my driving class before moving here."_

"Hey Marco, can't talk, late for school!" Katrina said as she opened the backdoor and put her backpack on the backseat, quickly closed it and hopped in the passenger's side. "Surprised your dad let you use the car again."

"Well, he did say that it was only in emergencies and being late to my first day of class? Yeah, he thinks that's an emergency." Marco responded before locking the doors and driving off as fast as the speed limit would allow him too. "So, do your parents still think we're an item?"

"Yep, no matter how many times I say that we aren't." Katrina responded as she shook her head and glanced out the window. "Same thing with your dad?"

"You know it." Marco sighed as he continued to drive along. "I mean come on, we've been friends since childhood, it would be weird dating a girl I've known for that long."

"I tried telling my parents that, all they said was that that was how they met." Katrina sighed as she shook her head. "At least being late will be the least of our worries, right?"

"Please don't jinx us, last thing I want is to be caught in a Supervillain attack on my first day in New York City." Marco sighed as he continued to drive along. "I don't think there's any explaining the car being blown away or turned to stone or being smashed to smithereens or sent to an alternate dimension where you're a genius whose mom runs a chemical company who gained dragon like abilities in a freak accident and I'm your tech support."

"Sad thing is? That last one sounds tempting." Katrina responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Marco. "But no, I'm stuck being an average girl whose mom runs one of the many mom and pop Chinese restaurants in the city, about the only consistent thing is the fact that you're my tech support and my dad still works for the police."

"Well, that and your beautiful." Marco added getting a grin out of Katrina. "No wonder everyone thinks we're a couple."

"Yep, and I bet showing up to high school in the same car won't help that perception!" Katrina responded before Marco pulled into the high school parking lot. "See? That wasn't so hard, first day in New York and nothing weird happened."

"I wouldn't hold your breath on "nothing weird happening", this is superpower central after all." Marco responded before reaching back and passing Katrina her bag. "Don't think I'll be able to do this tomorrow, car has just enough fuel to get us both back home but it's going to need topping up tomorrow and guess who has the money for it?"

"Your dad?" Katrina asked, and Marco nodded. "We'll find a way to make it work, for now let's worry about getting to class in time." Katrina added before exiting the car and rushing off towards the building.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Marco responded before grabbing his stuff and following Katrina.

*meanwhile across town*

For Marco and Katrina, it was their first day in New York and their first day at school, but for the regular residents of New York it was just another day.

"That's it, load all the money into the bag." The insane Supervillain known as the White Rabbit ordered her henchmen, dressed as several characters from Alice in Wonderland, as they robbed a bank at gunpoint. "This is so easy! It's not like Spider-Man's going to show up to bother little old me!"

"What about that Frog guy?" One of the henchmen asked as they started to leave, and the White Rabbit scoffed.

"What about him? He hasn't been active for years." The White Rabbit responded before she and her goons left the bank and started heading down an alleyway that led them to their getaway vehicle. "Who cares if I used up all the money I inherited." The White Rabbit muttered under her breath not noticing that one of the patrons from the bank was following her. "After this heist? I'll rich again!"

"Wait, what do you mean you have no money left?" One of the henchmen asked as he turned to her. "You said we'd get paid!"

"And you will, with a percentage of the money from the heist!" The White Rabbit responded with a reassuring grin and the henchmen shared uneasy looks. "Don't worry, I'll pay…..."

"Oh, you will pay!" The patron's voice rang out from behind her and she stopped midsentence. "For all the crimes you've committed."

"Who…." The White Rabbit was cut off by a single shotgun blast that went in through her back and out the front, the insane supervillain had just enough time to look down at the gaping hole in her chest before she dropped to her knees and then fell face-down dead.

"Let's get out of here! That bitch wasn't going to pay us anyway!" The henchmen said quickly before they ran off in different directions.

"Justice is served, White Rabbit!" The patron said simply before pocketing the shotgun and leaving the scene of the crime.

*later*

It was now the end of the school day and the students at mid-town high where leaving for home, including Marco and Katrina.

"I swear, if Katrina wasn't living with her parents she'd be late to everything." Marco sighed to himself as he waited for Katrina to emerge from the high school. "Well, at least I have something to listen too whilst I wait for her." Marco commented before he turned up the radio and started searching for stations. _"Come on, I know I found a really good metal station earlier!"_ Marco thought as he continued to mess with the controls.

"In late breaking news, a Supervillain was found murdered earlier today in Manhattan." The news anchor's voice rang out giving Marco pause. "The villain known as the White Rabbit, real name Lorina Dodson, was gunned down as she and her associates fled the scene of a bank robbery by a patron of the bank who exclaimed "Justice is Served, White Rabbit" before leaving the scene of the crime, the police have yet to comment on if this is a copycat of the Scourge of the Underworld's murder spree in the 80s or a resurgence of the vigilante organization."

"White Rabbit? Who?" Marco wondered before looking her up on Google. _"Fought Spider-Man and some guy called the Frog once, was recently released from Ryker's Island, wow, that costume is bad, I hope Katrina doesn't go for that look if she does get powers."_

"Looking up Playboy models at school Marco?" Katrina's voice rang out and Marco looked up seeing that he had somehow missed her getting into the car. "Sorry for the wait, had to get myself signed up for the track team before I left."

"No worries, and no I wasn't looking up Playboy Models at school, that was just a one-time thing and I'd rather forget about it." Marco responded before pocketing the phone and starting up the engine. "So, what do you know of the Scourge of the Underworld?"

"Scourge of the Underworld? Not a lot, I know my parents watched a documentary on the original Scourge of the Underworld last night, but I wasn't paying attention." Katrina shrugged her shoulders as Marco pulled out of the parking space. "Why?"

"From the sounds of it there's a new Scourge in town, already gunned down some Spider-Man enemy I've never heard off called the White Rabbit, the playboy model you saw." Marco added as he continued to drive along. "Not that it concerns us, I mean we've never been in trouble with the law, right? And if these murders make the streets safer that's fine by me!"

"Marco, have I ever told you something my dad taught me when I was a little girl?" Katrina asked, and Marco thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "He taught me that all life is precious and that even criminals deserve a second chance, it's the whole reason he wanted to become a cop in the first place, so I'm not that comfortable with you being so casual about some insane woman being gunned down, Supervillain or not."

"I guess your right, how about we just forget that conversation ever happened." Marco commented before turning his attention back to the road. "Huh, I don't recognize this area from the drive to school."

"Great, first day driving in New York and your already lost." Katrina sighed in annoyance before glancing around. "And it looks like we're in a rough neighborhood, can you get us out of here?"

"Shouldn't be too hard." Marco responded before he glanced at the fuel meter. "Scratch that, we're running out of fuel."

"What do you mean "we're running out of fuel"?" Katrina asked as she turned to her friend whilst the car crawled to a stop. "I thought you said that we had enough fuel to get us to and from school?"

"I did, so I don't know why…." Marco commented before face-palming. "Ugh, I'm such an idiot!"

"What did you do?" Katrina asked before glancing out the window. "Seriously Marco, there's some guys coming our way and they don't look friendly! What did you do?!" Katrina demanded as she saw several thugs approach the car.

"I didn't like the look of the food on the menu at lunchtime, so I snuck out to grab something from a deli." Marco responded as he ran a hand down his face. "I was more concerned with getting back before the staff noticed I was gone than I was with fuel and I wasn't paying attention to the fuel gage."

"Let me get this straight, we're about to get carjacked and possibly worse, because you are a picky eater?!" Katrina responded with a face-palm and Marco nodded with a wince. "Marco, if we survive this then you may as well rip up your driver's license because I don't see your dad letting you drive ever again!"

"Get out of the car! This is a carjack!" The lead thug demanded as he pointed his gun sideways at the window and Katrina winced. "I said get out of the car!"

"Okay, okay!" Marco said before quickly opening the car door and Katrina followed suit, they didn't even get a chance to step out before they were grabbed and dragged out by two thugs each.

"Well, well, who's your lady friend?" The lead thug asked as he laid eyes on Katrina and the rest of the thugs eyed her up. "Be gentle with her boys!"

"You leave her alone!" Marco demanded only for the lead thug to point his gun to his head whilst the other thugs dragged Katrina into a nearby alley. "You won't get away with this! Her dad's a cop!"

"Do I look like I'm scared of her daddy?" The lead thug scoffed, and the other thugs laughed.

*meanwhile in the alley*

"Don't worry little lady! We'll be gentle." The thug said as he threw her to the ground and got on top of her before producing a pocket knife. "Off course, that's what I say to all the ladies I meet!"

"No wonder you can't get a date!" Katrina responded before kicking the thug in the balls causing him to drop the knife, the thug rolled to the side allowing Katrina to scramble to her feet and try to get away only to realize that it led to a dead end. "Fuck me!"

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" One of the other thugs said as he grabbed the knife. "Don't worry, we'll still be gentle!"

"Why bother?" The thug Katrina kicked in the balls said as he got up to his feet. "After what she did to me? Why don't we make it so not even her own mother will recognize her?"

"That sounds like a good idea!" The other thug said before shoving Katrina against the wall and holding the knife to her throat. "Your going to wish that you had never hooked up with your boyfriend! Not even your dad can save you now!"

" _Mom, dad, I probably won't see them again."_ Katrina thought as she closed her eyes. _"All because Marco didn't like the school cafeteria food! Granted, it wasn't great but if he hadn't snuck out I wouldn't be in this situation."_ Katrina thought before taking a deep breath…. only for her train of thought to be interrupted by screams of pain and surprise and she looked up seeing that she had set the thugs sleeve on fire causing him to back away. _"What the…."_

"That bitch can breathe fire?!" The lead thug exclaimed in surprise as the other thug quickly took off his jacket. "She's a mutant! Get her!"

" _I don't know what just happened, but I'll take it, let's see what else I can do!"_ Katrina thought as the first thug swung with his fist only for Katrina to duck under it and punch him in the stomach sending him flying backwards into the other thugs and knocking him out, another thug tried to tackle her from the side, but she flew over him causing him to crash into a trash can head first, the three remaining thugs shared a look before sprinting out of the alley.

*back at the car*

"Boss, the car isn't moving!" One of the thugs said as he tried get the car moving to no avail. "Maybe the kid's telling the truth!"

"I tried telling you that we were out of fuel!" Marco protested as the lead thug kept his gun trained on him. "So maybe you'll let us go? Call of your thugs from whatever they're about to do to Katrina…." Marco never finished the sentence as the lead thug pistol whipped him.

"Shut it! We're not letting you go, not after you've seen our faces! Same goes for your girlfriend!" The lead thug said before going to shoot Marco in the head, however he was distracted by the site of the three thugs fleeing the alley. "Oh shit! A Superhero's showed up, hasn't he?"

"No man, it's the girl, she's a mutant!" The thug responded as he caught up to the leader. "It's the only way to describe it! One minute she's our victim, the next she's kicking our asses!"

" _Katrina's a mutant?!"_ Marco thought as he closed his eyes. _"Well, maybe we won't be leaving here in body bags after all…"_ Marco's train of thought was interrupted when a loud clang rang out and he looked up realizing that the lead thug had apparently been knocked out with a flying trashcan lid. _"Did I do that? But how?!"_

"They're both mutants, lets get out of here!" One of the thugs said before they all ran off and Marco got back to his feet.

"Marco!" Katrina's voice rang out as the Asian girl ran up to him and took several deep breaths. "Are you hurt?"

"You first, they dragged you into an alleyway and from the look of things they were ready to gang rape you!" Marco responded, and Katrina shook her head.

"All things considered? I'm fine, they didn't even get my top off before my powers activated." Katrina responded with a shudder before turning her attention to Marco. "What about you?"

"That asshole pistol whipped me, but my powers activated before he could kill me, looks like I've got telepathy of some kind." Marco responded after thinking for a minute before noticing Katrina's eyes lighting up. "What about you?"

"Oh, just the powers I've always dreamed off!" Katrina responded with a big grin on her face. "Granted, I can definitely think of better scenarios for me to get them in but I'm not complaining, we need to get out of here!"

"Agreed, I guess we'll have to walk home." Marco responded as he glanced at the car. "I'll explain the situation to dad, hopefully he'll go easy on me all things considered and I'll leave out the powers bit, probably claim that we were saved by superheroes."

"Yeah but that can only take us so far." Katrina said as she glanced towards the car. "Okay, how about after school tomorrow we'll meet up in a quiet spot and see what our powers can do without hurting people."

"A quiet spot in New York City?" Marco asked as he scratched his head. "Katrina, we're not in a small town anymore, this is a major city, trying to find a quiet spot here is not going to be easy."

"Would you rather test them out in full view of our parents?" Katrina asked, and Marco shook his head. "Thought not, let's get out of here, and see if you can get your sister to sow us some costumes, if your dad asks, just tell him that there for a Halloween party."

"In Spring?" Marco asked, and Katrina sighed.

"You figure something out, for now I just want to get out of here!" Katrina added and Marco nodded before they left the area.


	2. The Awakening

Once Marco and Katrina had returned home they had wasted no time in telling their parents who had called the police, it was late at night at Katrina's family home and she had given the report to the police earlier that day, however to say that she wasn't sleeping well was an understatement as she tossed and turned in her bed.

After a few minutes she awoke with a scream before taking several deep breaths and crawling into a fetal position. _"God damn it, why did Marco have to take the wrong turning earlier? This is the fifth time I've woken up from a nightmare related to that incident and that one was the worst!"_ Katrina thought before shuddering but before she could think of anything else the door opened and lights came on. "Dad? Shouldn't you be asleep."

"Katrina, you woke up half the neighborhood with that scream." Her dad responded as he stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. "That incident from earlier is still keeping you up, isn't it?"

"You could say that." Katrina said with a deep breath as she set go of her legs. "I just want this nightmare to be over dad."

"It is over Katrina, the thugs that tried to carjack you and Marco have so many outstanding warrants that they'll likely spend the rest of their lives in prison." Katrina's dad responded before pulling his daughter into a tight hug which was enough to calm her down. "You should get back to sleep, you have school in the morning after all."

"Yeah, I know." Katrina responded before her dad got off her bed and she lay on her side. "Good night dad."

"Good night Katrina." Her dad responded before leaving the room, once he was outside he saw his wife waiting for her. "She's a strong girl Lin, she'll make it through this."

"That's not my main concern Howard, if this is a sign of things to come then maybe moving here was a mistake." Lin responded, and Howard nodded in understanding. "Katrina and Marco were lucky to make it out of that incident alive but there's no telling what could happen if they end up in a similar situation."

"I understand but this is New York we're talking about, it has one of the largest superhero populations in the country and that was proven when that unknown hero saved them." Howard responded before sighing. "We'd better get to sleep ourselves."

"Agreed." Lin responded before they walked off towards the room they shared.

*the next day*

It had been a day since Marco and Katrina had discovered their powers but whilst they were discussing what they were going to do now that they had powers they weren't the only ones hard at work.

"What's the situation report?" Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, asked as he walked down the hallways of the local SHIELD headquarters next to several agents. "From what I understand, the Scourge of the Underworld is back."

"Apparently sir, they've already claimed one victim, the Spider-Man villain known as the White Rabbit." One of the SHIELD agents responded as he checked the reports. "The rest of her gang was rounded up by the police and it doesn't seem like anyone's in a hurry to claim her body." The agent added as he handed Steve the report.

"Her family likely wants to distance themselves from her." Steve responded as he looked over the reports. "Keep me updated on the Scourge of the Underworld, if there are any more hits I want to be the first to know, I put a stop to the original Scourge's killing spree in the 80s and the USAgent seemingly put them out to pasture a few years later but if they are back then they need to be stopped." Steve added before passing the report back to the agent. "Anything else?"

"It's likely nothing but several thugs are in the hospital claiming that they were attacked by mutants." Another agent responded as she read the reports. "But the powers listed don't match any known mutants."

"Let me see that." Steve responded, and she passed him the report. "Female mutant with super strength, flight and ability to breath fire and male mutant with telepathic abilities, both described as being in their late teens? That sounds more like the X-Men's department but keep an eye on it."

"Will do." The female agent responded before walking off.

" _If those two mutants are new to the scene and just got their powers then we might see two new costumed heroes."_ Steve thought as he walked down the hallway. _"But taking down common thugs is one thing, taking down an experienced criminal is another, I can only hope that I find them before they get hurt."_

*meanwhile*

School had ended two hours ago, and Katrina had already returned home to drop off her stuff before leaving for the meeting point that she and Marco had arranged, right now she was sitting on a bench in central park listening to music on her iPhone.

" _I said, "let's meet somewhere quiet so that we can test our powers" and what do I do?"_ Katrina thought with a sigh as she glanced around looking for any sign of Marco. _"I pick Central Park, one of the least quiet places in the city, as long as we can find a quiet place we should be okay."_

"Katrina, I don't know if the definition of quiet is different in China or not." Marco said as he walked up to his friend and she grinned before removing her headphones. "But when I think of "quiet place to test our powers" Central Park isn't anywhere near the top of the list."

"Sorry, I wanted to go with a place where no one would think to look for us." Katrina responded as Marco sat down next to her. "As for China, I wouldn't know, I was born there but my parents came over legally when I was still a baby, I know some Mandarin but I'm not exactly fluent in the language."

"Same thing with me and Italy in other words." Marco responded before putting a hand on her shoulder. "So, how have you been feeling since, well, you know…."

"I thought I was past it once I got home but that night I had some terrible nightmares, about what could've happened if my powers never activated." Katrina sighed as she rested her hands on her legs. "Let me put it this way, the best one ended with me being gang raped, stabbed and left to die, after the last one I screamed so loud that my dad had to come in and assure me that the nightmare was over to get me back to sleep and trust me, you don't want to know how the last one ended." Katrina added before shuddering.

"I'll take your word for it, but I get the feeling I know how I end up in those nightmares as well." Marco responded with a sigh. "Fortunately, my dad was able to get his car back from the police once they were done with it, I did get an earful for being so reckless, but he was just glad that you and I made it out okay."

"My parents were just glad that I made it out okay." Katrina shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back. "My dad was the most worried about me by far, but he was thankful to the Superhero who saved us, whoever they are."

"You couldn't think of a Superhero whose skillset matches our powers either, huh?" Marco asked, and Katrina nodded. "Good news is Sophia's started on our costumes, should be ready by the time we get back."

"You did make sure to tell her not to make me one of those "sexy Halloween costumes" right? I may have a great body but if my parents ever find out about my powers there's no way in hell they'll let me leave the house in that outfit! Even if those bastards didn't try to gang rape me yesterday." Katrina asked, and Marco shook his head in response. "Good, so how's your head?"

"Had to get some stitches done not long after I got home because the pistol whip drew blood that I didn't notice until my dad pointed it out to me, but considering the alternative? I'll take having stitches in my head any day of the week." Marco responded, and Katrina nodded in agreement. "Right, we came here to test out our powers and I'm assuming you picked out a spot before I arrived?"

"You got it, follow me." Katrina responded before standing up and leading Marco away.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on in Central Park a meeting off a different kind was going on at the docks were several criminals were waiting on a shipment.

"Okay, as soon as the ship pulls in I want all of you on board and unloading the stuff!" Mr. Fish, a low-level Supervillain with the appearance of a fish, commanded his men as the ship they were waiting for pulled into the harbor. "This is a major drug shipment and if anyone messes this up you'll be sorry!"

"You got it boss!" The second in command responded as the ship pulled into the harbor and he lead the thugs aboard the ship.

" _This stuff will set me up for weeks, maybe more!"_ Mr. Fish thought not noticing a dock worker approaching him from behind. _"And right under the NYPD's noses, they'll never suspect a thing!"_

"Err boss, are you sure the info you got is good?" The lead thug asked over the radio and Mr. Fish picked it up. "One of the guys opened a crate to sample the product but there's nothing inside but some antiques!"

"What?!" Mr. Fish demanded as he glanced towards the ship. "Stay right there! I'm coming aboard!" Mr. Fish added before pocketing the radio. _"This makes no sense, my contact has never been wrong before…"_ Mr. Fish thought before he heard a gun being cocked behind him and he span around seeing the dock worker pointing a shotgun towards him, before the Supervillain could make a move to defend himself the dock worker shot him in the chest sending him flying off the pier and into the ocean, the dockworker approached the side of the pier and looked down confirming the kill.

"Justice is served, Mr. Fish." The dockworker said before tossing the gun into the ocean and fleeing the scene.

*an hour later back at Central Park*

"Yes, Kat, I get it, you can fly." Marco sighed as he leaned against a tree and watched his friend do somersaults in the air with little effort. "Can you stop showing off already? I thought the whole point of finding a quiet spot to test our powers was to be inconspicuous!"

"What's the matter? Jealous?" Katrina asked with a grin as she sat down atop a tree branch and Marco rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, so what if we found out that I can't lift anything heavier than a trash can lid without a major headache?" Marco protested as Kat looked down at him. "Why would I be jealous of a girl with super strength, flight and the ability to breath fire without burning your mouth…. okay I see your point now that I say it out loud but still!" Marco admitted as Kat glanced around. "So, how's the view up there?"

"If I was atop a place where I could see the whole park? Amazing, but I'll settle for the great view in front of me!" Katrina responded getting a laugh out of Marco before spotting something and quickly hopping off the tree branch. "Marco, shut up and play along."

"Wha…?" Marco never finished his sentence as Kat pulled him in and kissed him on the lips, Marco played along as the two teens made out and just as it became heated a park attendant approached them.

"Break it up you two, this is a public area." The attendant told them, and the two teens broke the kiss in a hurry. "Save that for the bedroom and at least make sure he has a condom!" The attendant added before walking off.

"Spoilsport!" Kat called out to him and the attendant ignored her. "Sorry about that, had to think fast and that was the first thing that came to mind."

"Are you sure you don't want us to be more than friends?" Marco asked as he wiped the lipstick from his mouth. "Just saying, you didn't hesitate to use your tongue in that kiss!"

"What can I say? I needed it to look convincing." Kat responded as she leaned against the tree next to Marco and made sure that no one else was in range. "We'd better wrap this up because I don't know how long I can keep that masquerade up without some clothing coming off, so we learned that your telepathy isn't that powerful, and my super strength isn't enough to knock over a tree in one hit yet."

"Did you have to test that using the tree directly in front of me?!" Marco protested, and Kat shook her head. "That just makes me worried about the possibility of us hooking up and if I cheat on you, the end result being me having an intimate encounter with a tree!"

"Relax, I'd make sure to yell "timber" first!" Kat reassured him, and Marco let out a nervous laugh. "We also learned that flying is a lot of fun."

"Correction, you learned that, I watched from the sidelines!" Marco responded as he rolled his eyes. "I'm beginning to think that I got the short end of the stick with my mutant powers, and we still don't know the full extent of our powers!"

"Yeah and it's not like anyone's going to drop out of the sky and offer to train us." Kat nodded in agreement before absentmindedly glancing up towards the sky and Marco did likewise, after a few seconds the two teens felt their stomachs rumble and they broke their concentration. "Come on, I passed a pizza parlor on the way over and as good as my mom's cooking is, we're too far away from the restaurant to get there before dinner."

"Just remember to text your mom to tell them that we're eating out, otherwise she'll get on your case for not eating dinner." Marco responded, and Kat nodded before grabbing her phone.

"Good point, I'll just tell her that I'm having an early dinner." Kat responded before she started to send the text, once it was sent she turned to Marco. "Race you there?"

"How is this race going to be fair if you can fly and I can't?" Marco protested, and Kat paused. "Not to mention you were one of our hometowns best athletes on the high school track team."

"Yeah, I guess your right." Kat admitted sheepishly before the two teens walked off.

*meanwhile at NYPD*

Whilst it was all fun and games for Katrina and Marco the same couldn't be said for her father's place of work as it was a busy day at the precinct,

"Bunch of gang bangers, the former members of the White Rabbit's gang, this is going to be a busy week." Howard sighed to himself as he leaned back in his chair whilst momentarily glancing over at the holding cells where the thugs who had tried to carjack Marco and Katrina yesterday sat. _"It's killing me inside that I can't interrogate those thugs after what they almost did to my daughter, but I know it would be a conflict of interest if I did."_

"Howard, you have a second?" Howard looked up and realized that his partner, a female red-headed officer at least twenty years younger than he was, was standing in front of his desk with a report in hand. "It's to do with the assault on your daughter and her boyfriend last night and it's not good."

"I'm all ears." Howard responded as he leaned forward. "Even if it is bad news for my daughter Jenny, I want to hear it."

"Well, you know how they claimed that they had been saved by a Superhero right?" Jenny responded, and Howard nodded. "Only there's two glaring holes in their story, none of the New York based heroes were anywhere near that area at the time according to reports, and the gang members all said that it was Katrina and Marco who drove them off."

"Jenny, I know that you are fresh out of police academy and that your eager to get to the truth of the matter, believe me I was a rookie once as well." Howard responded as his eyes narrowed. "But your trusting the word of gang members over the word of my own daughter, I hope you have some collaboration for this because otherwise? We're not going to have a very healthy working relationship."

"I knew you'd say something along those lines, so I checked the witness accounts and CCTV footage." Jenny responded before handing him the reports. "Not only do they collaborate the gang members' stories, but it raises one question, why would the teenage daughter of a cop lie to the police?"

"Your right, this makes no sense." Howard nodded in agreement as he looked over the reports. "Aside from the issue that you brought up, Katrina's never shown abilities like this, she was always a talented athlete but not to this extent…..." Howard trailed off as it hit him. "Katrina and Marco are mutants?"

"Seems that way and it would explain why they lied to the police, you know the bad rep mutants get." Jenny responded, and Howard frowned. "Do you know where they are now?"

"Katrina said that she was going to meet Marco in Central Park, I just figured that they wanted some time to relax after everything that happened yesterday." Howard responded before handing over the file. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I have a call to make."

"That call can wait Howard." Howard's boss said as he walked up to the two police detectives. "We just got an anonymous tip, the Supervillain known as Mr. Fish has been murdered and all signs point to it being another Scourge of the Underworld murder."

"Never a dull moment." Howard sighed before getting up and putting on his coat. _"Katrina, I thought I taught you better than to lie to the police, still, I have a job to do."_

 _*_ later at the pizzeria*

"Man, that was good." Katrina sighed as the two teens finished their pizza, a meat feast for Katrina and a Hawaiian for Marco. "That said, maybe we should leave the fact that your eating a pineapple pizza away from your dad?"

"Oh, come on, just because he's from Italy doesn't mean he'll freak out over me not eating a traditional pizza." Marco responded with a grin before Katrina handed a twenty dollar note to the waitress to pay for their pizzas and Katrina shook her head.

"Do I really need to point out what happened that one time I ordered a Meateror from Dominos whilst I was staying over at your place." Katrina pointed out and Marco winced in response. "I thought not. So, what now? Do you want to head home or something?"

"Dad's not going to be home from work for another hour or so and he has the key." Marco responded as he checked the time on his iPhone. "Could ask Sophia to let me in but she's busy sowing our costumes."

"Speaking off, you had any updates from her?" Katrina asked, and Marco shook his head.

"Not since I talked her into sowing the costumes, no." Marco responded before sighing. "So, Katrina, I've been thinking about us, together as partners."

"Really? Seems like a big leap but after that kiss earlier I guess it makes sense." Katrina shrugged her shoulders in response and Marco shook his head.

"Not what I meant." Marco responded before clearing his throat. "Look, our powers are awesome and all but once word gets out that we're mutants, well we can probably kiss our normal lives goodbye, including any athletic aspirations you had."

"Right, people will be saying that I'm cheating by using my powers and I'd probably have to give back all the trophies I won back at our old school." Katrina sighed in annoyance before glancing up at Marco. "Is there a point to this beyond bumming me out?"

"Well, what I'm saying is that we should find a way to defend ourselves from bullies and the like without using powers, hell you had to put up with a lot of racism back in the town we lived in." Marco added, and Katrina sighed.

"Don't remind me, if we hadn't have moved and I heard one more idiot telling me to go back to where I belong just because I was better than his daughter in Track I would've done something that I would've regretted for the rest of my life." Katrina responded with an annoyed sigh before shifting the topic back on course. "So, what your saying is, we should try to help people whenever we can, with or without our powers?"

"Exactly, I mean you've always wanted to be a hero like your dad and these powers give us a great opportunity to be just that, heroes." Marco responded, and Katrina nodded in agreement before something caught her eye at the bank across the street from the pizzeria. "Sure, our powers are great and all, yours more so but still, but we were good people before we got our powers and are you even paying attention?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, I thought I saw something at the bank over there." Katrina responded as she motioned towards the building with her head. "It's probably nothing but your right, just because we have these powers now doesn't mean we're not the same people we were before."

"True enough, still having those costumed identities wouldn't…." Marco never finished his sentence as a loud explosion rang out from the bank and both teens covered their ears. "What the hell?!"

"Rhino, Shocker, we have to move quickly!" Jack O'Lantern said to the other two villains as they emerged from the rubble carrying several money bags. "Spider-Man will be here any minute!"

"Oh great, our first encounter with a group of villains and we don't have our costumes yet, maybe we should just let Spider-Man handle these guys, right Katrina?" Marco asked as he ducked beneath the table before noticing that his female companion hadn't joined him, in fact he could see the Chinese girl's shoes right in front of the table. "Katrina?"

"I can't let these guys get away!" Katrina responded as the three villains ran towards the pizzeria. "You handle the Shocker and Jack O'Lantern, I'll handle Rhino."

"Are you even listening to yourself?!" Marco asked with a look of disbelief on his face. "Never mind the fact that Rhino's a lot stronger than you and outweighs you by a ton, we don't even have our costumes yet! The moment we get a camera on us, we're busted!"

"You wanted to be a hero, right?" Katrina asked, and Marco shook his head.

"Yeah but within reason!" Marco responded before sighing. "What did I do to deserve this?!" Marco sighed before standing up. "I hope you know what you're doing!"

"That depends, would you consider "biding time until Spider-Man shows up" to be a good plan of action?" Katrina asked, and Marco shook his head. "Thought not, see you on the other side!"

"Kat, wait, can we at least discuss strategy!?" Marco called out to her but by then she had exited the pizzeria via a side door. "Either the Supervillains kill me, or dad does, this does not look good but screw it." Marco muttered to himself before stepping out of the restaurant.

"Hey Jack, where's the getaway vehicle?!" Shocker asked as he ran down the street carrying a handful of money bags. "You said it'd be right here!"

"This is what I get for trusting hired help!" Jack responded as he ran down the street. "We'll think of something, just shut up!"

"Hey Shocker!" Marco called out to the Supervillain and he paused just long enough to turn around and see a flying trash can lid clobber him in the face knocking him down to one knee and causing him to drop the bags. _"Okay, trash can lid trick doesn't work quite as well against Supervillains, good to know!"_ Marco thought as the Shocker pointed one of his gauntlets at him.

"Kid, I'm giving you five seconds to realize how dumb it was of you to play hero!" Shocker responded, and Marco braced himself as he fired an energy blast only to see it bounce off a mental force shield. "What the?"

"Hey, to be honest? I'm just as surprised as you are!" Marco responded as the force-shield dissipated. "Kinda new to the whole heroics thing!"

"To bad you won't get to enjoy it for much longer!" Jack O'Lantern responded as he sprang into action and launched his wrist blade attack at Marco only for them to be reflected by the force-shield. "Shocker, looks like we're dealing with a mutant, be careful!"

"Ya just noticed?!" Shocker asked before grinning under his mask. "But hey, let's see how hard his telepathy powers hold up against the Rhino…." Shocker never finished his sentence as the much larger Supervillain was sent flying into him with a punch from Katrina knocking him off balance. "Now what?!"

"Sorry boys but I couldn't let you have all the fun." Katrina said as she glared daggers at the three villains, the Rhino went to charge at her, but Katrina flew right over him causing him to crash into a parked car.

"Two mutants?! What next? Is Spider-Man going to show up?!" Shocker grumbled as he continued to fire energy blasts at Marco who did his best to dodge them. "Hold still ya punk!"

"Sorry but I happen to be deathly allergic to taking energy blasts to the face!" Marco responded as he ducked out of the way off another one which impacted against the ground whilst Kat tried to hold her own against the much stronger Rhino. _"Kat's not doing too badly so far but Rhino's one of the strongest Supervillains around, good news is that he's also one of the dumbest, so she should be able to outsmart him, bad news is he's still a lot stronger than her!"_ Marco thought as he brought up another barrier to deflect Jack O'Lantern's attacks.

"Hold still!" Rhino exclaimed in frustration as Kat continued to use her flying abilities to play cat and mouse with the much larger and stronger villain.

"Love too but I don't feel like being pummeled today." Kat responded as she landed in front of the pizzeria without noticing and Rhino got ready to charge at her. _"Hope Spider-Man shows up soon, don't know how long I can keep this up!"_ Katrina thought as the Rhino charged right at her, this time however Katrina breathed fire right into the Supervillain's face before rolling out of the way causing Rhino to crash through the storefront. _"Oh crap, well that's one place I can cross off the list of places me and Marco are allowed to eat out at!"_

" _Did Rhino just crash through the pizzeria's storefront?!"_ Marco thought as he glanced up at Rhino emerging from the rubble, however the distraction was enough for Jack O'Lantern to hit him with one of his wrist blades knocking him on his side.

"MARCO!" Katrina called out when she saw her friend go down, but she didn't get much of a chance to help him out as Rhino tackled her from behind and sent her crashing into a parked car causing her to crash down.

"You little punks should've listened to me earlier and stayed out of this!" Shocker commented as he pointed his wrist mounted gauntlets at the two teenager's heads. "I would say "live and learn" but you won't be living for much longer!" Shocker added as he went to fire his gauntlets.

"You know Shocker, maybe you should listen to your own advice!" A new voice rang out before Shocker's right hand was webbed up causing it to stick to the car Kat was leaning against, the three villains looked up and saw Spider-Man standing on top of the building behind them. "I'm just saying, if you did I wouldn't have to keep making a fool of you! Granted that is a lot of fun but…..."

"Spider-Man! Get him!" Jack O'Lantern called out as he and Rhino charged at him whilst Shocker struggled to get free.

"Kat are you okay?" Marco said as he ran up to his friend who was using the van to support her weight just as the police started to show up. "I told you this was a bad idea!"

"Hold that thought." Katrina responded before she went over to Shocker who was struggling to get free. "Hey Shocker!"

"What?!" Shocker demanded only to get knocked out by a single punch from Kat.

"If you could do that all along, why did you leave him to me?" Marco protested, and Kat turned to him.

"Would you have rather took on Rhino?" Kat asked, and Marco paused for a moment.

"You know what? That's a great point!" Marco admitted before the two teens noticed the press showing up alongside some other NYPD officers. "We'd better get to a good hiding spot, before the press spots us." Marco added, and Katrina looked around.

"That alley, I don't see any press focusing on it." Kat said as she pointed it out and the two teens retreated to the alley, once they were away from the action Kat let out a deep breath. "Considering that that was our first Supervillain battle, I think it turned out okay!"

"Oh sure, nearly getting killed by the Shocker off all people? Yeah, that's a great start to our careers as crime fighters!" Marco said after taking several deep breaths and leaning against the wall. "At least things can't get any worse!"

"I thought I heard your voice Katrina!" Howard's voice rang out and Kat's eyes widened before she turned around and saw her dad at the entrance to the alleyway alongside Jenny. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Dad?" Kat asked once the surprise wore off and she watched him approach the two teens with a frown on his face. "I can explain, me and Marco got caught up in the action and we only just got away as Spider-Man showed…..."

"There's no point in lying to me." Howard interrupted her as he walked up to the two teens. "Especially after you already lied to the police."

"We have idea what your talking about." Marco responded as he put his hands up defensively and Kat nodded in agreement as Jenny walked up to them. "Why would lie to the police? We were carjacked, Kat nearly got gang raped, I nearly got killed and a Superhero came in and saved our asses, honest!"

"You can drop the charade, both of you." Jenny chimed in and the two teens turned to her as she showed them the CCTV footage. "There was no Superhero near that alley, in fact, no known Superhero was anywhere near that area, what really happened was that your mutant powers awakened, and you used them to defend yourselves, didn't you?" Jenny asked, and the two teens shared a look as they looked at the footage. "We're not mad at you for wanting to keep that a secret, believe me, I understand why, we just want you to come clean!"

"Okay, fine, we lied, there was no hero, we handled those thugs ourselves using our newly discovered mutant powers." Katrina sighed as she turned to her dad. "Happy?"

"Far from it." Howard responded as his frown deepened. "I saw you tangling with those Supervillains just now, if Spider-Man hadn't swung in when he did you'd both be dead, you realize that, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Marco responded before biting his lip. "It was Kat's idea, she figured we could hold them off long enough for Spider-Man to get on the scene, we're still not sure what the full extent of our powers are."

"Is he telling the truth?" Howard asked his daughter and Katrina hesitated before nodding. "I've heard enough, your both coming with us to the station." Howard added, and the two teens hesitated. "You're not under arrest, we just need you to amend your statements and after that its straight to the hospital to get treated for your injuries, but we will be having a long discussion about your attempts at superheoics Katrina." Howard added before turning to Marco. "And I have no doubt that your father will be having a long discussion with you as well."

"I'll go get the patrol car." Jenny informed Howard before she walked off.

"I'd better give my dad a call, better that he'd hear it from me than from someone else." Marco said after a few tense moments before getting his phone out and calling his dad's number whilst going further into the alley until he was out of earshot from Katrina and Howard, Katrina turned to her dad and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Kat, one of these days, your going to give your mother and I heart attacks." Howard said as he approached his daughter with a look of concern on his face. "I know you want to do some good in the world like I do day in day out, but you could've died back there."

"I know that, and if Spider-Man wasn't busy handing off those Supervillains to the authorities I'd thank him for the help." Kat sighed in response as she folded her arms. "And yeah, I know, I lied about what really happened in that neighborhood last night, but I wasn't sure how you'd take the fact that I'm a mutant."

"Kat, you're my daughter, nothing can change that, I still love you even if you are a mutant." Howard reassured her as he out a hand on her shoulder and Kat eased up. "Look, I know these next few weeks will be a challenge as you get into your Superhero identity and the fact that you're a mutant becomes well known but you have my support."

"Seriously?" Kat asked, and Howard nodded. "Thanks dad, off course whether Marco's dad sees it the same way you do or not remains to be seen."

"I'm sure he'll come around." Howard responded before Jenny motioned for them to follow her and Marco returned from his call. "Don't worry, this'll be quick and painless."

"I hope so." Kat sighed before the two teens followed her father out of the alley and into the patrol car. _"Great, first act as a superheo and I'm akready busted, at least things can't get worse!"_


	3. The Truth Hurts

An hour had past since the fight against Rhino, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern and Katrina and Marco were now at the police station having amended their statements, in the eyes of the media the two teenagers were being treated as heroes for standing up to the three Supervillains but to their parents it was a whole other story.

"Okay, that's your statement amended." Howard sighed as he signed the paperwork and glanced up at Katrina who was sitting across from her dad at his desk. "If you had just been truthful from the beginning it would've saved myself and Jenny some headaches, not only from my boss but from the public defense attorneys assigned to the thugs who assaulted you and Marco yesterday."

"I know." Katrina responded as she ran a hand down her face. "We were just more concerned with how people would react to us being mutants, we didn't even think about how it would affect the case against the thugs."

"I understand that Katrina but the only way you can help your case is to stop lying." Howard responded before Jenny brought him a drink. "Thanks Jenny, can you get something for Katrina?"

"Sure." Jenny responded before turning to Katrina. "Anything you want in particular?"

"I'm not picky." Katrina shrugged her shoulders and Jenny walked off, once her dad's partner was out of earshot Katrina turned to Howard. "So, does mom know yet?"

"She knows, I was at another crime scene when she called me." Howard responded before he accessed a file. "You know how I told you and your mother to only call me at work in emergencies? Well seeing you battle three Supervillains on TV qualified as an emergency, everyone might see you as a hero for buying enough time for Spider-Man to arrive on the scene before the three villains could get away, but your mother was extremely worried about you." Howard said as he reached into the file. "And I can't say that I disagreed with her, did you even have a strategy for taking on those villains?"

"Aside from buy Spider-Man enough time to show up and let him finish off the villains? Not really." Katrina admitted, and Howard frowned. "It's like I said back at the alley, we didn't even know the full extent of our powers and we still don't."

"You realize that if Marco wasn't able to protect himself with his powers, he would've been extremely injured or worse, right?" Howard asked simply, and Katrina hesitated before nodding. "Kat, I know its pointless to try to dissuade you from becoming a Superhero, but you need to understand something." Howard added with a sigh before passing two pictures to his daughter. "Have a look at those."

"Err, okay." Katrina responded before turning over the two pics and immediately regretting it, it was the crime scene photos of the murders of White Rabbit and Mr. Fish and she quickly passed them back to her dad whilst barely preventing herself from vomiting. "Dad, if your trying to scare me off being a Superhero then showing me the corpses of two Supervillains isn't going to do it." Katrina added once she regained her composure.

"I wasn't trying to." Howard responded as he put the pictures back in the file. "What I was trying to do was show you that your actions have consequences, you were ready to head into battle with supervillains using costumes knitted by Marco's little sister for Christ's sake, she may be two years younger than you and Marco, but I don't know many sixteen-year olds with access to Kevlar armor."

"We wouldn't have needed it." Katrina asserted, and Howard shook his head. "Between my flying abilities and Marco's force shields we would've been safe."

"Even though you just admitted that you didn't know Marco could put up those shields until the fight started?" Howard asked, and Katrina hesitated before nodding. "Katrina, I've been a police officer for a little over twenty years, both here and back home in China." Howard responded as he put the file away and leaned on the desk. "Do you know how many promising young officers I've seen get gunned down by crooks because they got overconfident?" Howard asked, and Katrina shook her head. "Neither do I, I've lost count over the years which is why you need to hear this." Howard added as he locked eyes with his daughter. "Being heroic is fine but if you're not careful then you'll just be another name in the obituary, I'd rather not bury my daughter before she turned twenty-one because she suddenly got access to superpowers and I'm sure that Marco's father feels the same way."

" _And knowing how strict Marco's dad is, I bet he's getting an earful as we speak."_ Katrina thought as she glanced towards the area where Marco was sitting. "Are we done here? I thought we were going straight to the hospital after the statements were amended?"

"We will be, you should be thankful that I was able to convince the insurance company to cover your injuries." Howard responded with a sigh and Katrina nodded. "We're just waiting on Marco to be done with his father."

" _Better make myself comfy in that case."_ Katrina thought as Jenny brought her a glass of water and she took it.

*meanwhile*

" _Man, I can't catch a break!"_ Marco thought as he leaned back against the chair, like Katrina he had been sitting in behind an officers' desk, in this case a different officer who had been at the scene, and after amending his statement he was waiting for his dad to pick him up and take him to the hospital. _"Dad's going to read me the riot act for getting involved in that battle and pretty soon everyone will know that me and Kat are mutants! At least things can't get any worse."_

"Here's your drink Marco." The officer said as he walked up to Marco and the eighteen-year-old glanced up seeing the tall, African American officer and he took the drink. "Hey, I know your dad's going to get on your case for putting your life in danger like that, but you and Katrina did the right thing back there!"

"And in the process, outed us as mutants." Marco sighed as he glanced towards the TV which was showing footage of the battle between the two teens and the three Supervillains. "Katrina may as well kiss her athletics trophies good bye because her old school is going to be asking "how long did she know she was a mutant and how many times did she use her powers to win" and I may as well kiss any hope of a social life at mid-town high goodbye!"

"It won't be that bad." The police officer responded as Marco took a sip. "If nothing else, you'll have your girlfriend Katrina for support."

"We're not dating, we're just friends." Marco responded as he shook his head. _"Though I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy the kiss I shared with her earlier as part of the cover up."_ Marco thought before glancing up at the officer. "Truth is, we've been friends since childhood, we just find the idea of us dating to be weird."

"If you say so but I know plenty of married couples who started out like that." The officer responded as Marco took a sip from his drink. "Katrina's parents included."

"Yeah, she mentioned that the other day." Marco nodded in response before wincing as he heard a familiar voice.

"I want to know where my son is." Marco's father demanded as he walked up to the receptionist and once he identified himself the receptionist pointed Marco out to his and he marched straight over to his son. "Marco, what were you thinking?!"

"I'll give you some alone time with your son Mr. Gordano." The officer said as he stood up and started to walk away. "If you want anything just give me a shout!"

"Will do." Marco's dad said before pulling up a seat next to his son who took a deep breath. "You and Katrina could've been killed! And you had Sophia making costumes for you?!"

"I know dad, believe me I was the most vocal opponent against battling those Supervillains, especially since I don't know the full extent of my powers." Marco added before taking a deep breath. "And then there's the elephant in the room."

"You and Katrina are mutants." Marco's dad responded with a nod once he understood what his son meant. "How long have you known that you were mutants?"

"Since the carjacking, Kat's powers awakened first and mine awakened a few seconds later, once we dealt with the crooks we figured making the leap to Superheroes was the next logical step." Marco responded with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "Using our powers to fight off common criminals made it seem so easy, especially after we tested our powers in Central Park earlier, but fighting Shocker, Jack O'Lantern and Rhino was a wake-up call for both of us."

"I hope it was." Marco's dad responded before putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm not going to disown you because you're a mutant. I was accepting of Sophia's lesbian identity and I'd be a hypocrite if I did disown you, and I know I can't stop you from using your powers for good but I'd rather you'd have more training than just testing out your powers in the park with your girlfriend, you got lucky when Spider-Man showed up to take care of those Supervillains but there's no telling if your luck will continue or not."

"Trust me dad, no one understands how lucky we got back there better than me." Marco responded with a sigh as he turned to his dad. "I get the feeling that this is a stupid question but is Sophia still working on the costumes?"

"Once I figured out why she was making those things I ordered her to stop." Marco's dad responded, and Marco sighed in response. "Come on, we'd better get you to the hospital to get treated."

"Yeah, sure." Marco responded before standing up and following his dad, once he saw Katrina following her dad out as well he figured that their conversation was over as well. _"As soon as we get this over with I'm going to find some way to pay back Sophia for the time she wasted on the costumes, at least the rest of the day will be quiet right?"_

*meanwhile across town*

Whilst Katrina and Marco were off to the hospital to get their injuries treated and Shocker, Jack O'Lantern and Rhino were being carted off to jail a crime of a different kind was happening over in Brooklyn.

"Everyone stay down!" The Spider-Man villain known as the Squid commanded as he and his henchmen entered a small convenience store with the intention of robbing it, as soon as the shoppers saw the Supervillain they wasted no time in getting down and he marched straight up to the counter. "Put all the money from the till in this bag or one of these customers will regret it!"

"You got it man!" The teenaged store clerk responded before opening the till and emptying the contents into the bag that the Squid had provided.

" _I may be starting small but from now on no one will laugh at the Squid!"_ The squid thought as he snatched the bag with one of his tentacles. "It's time to clear out boys, move out!" The Squid commanded his followers and most of the henchmen left the store in a hurry, all except one who approached the Squid. "Didn't you hear me? I said move out!"

"You are not the one who gives me orders Squid!" The henchmen responded before producing a shotgun from his outfit. "And you will never give orders again!"

"Wait…." The Squid never finished his sentence as the henchmen fired his gun hitting him in the chest and causing him to flip over the counter landing near the teenaged clerk who was freaking out over what just happened as the Supervillain lay dead at his feet.

"Justice is served, Squid!" The henchmen, one of the new Scourge of the Underworld members, said before fleeing the store via a back entrance.

*later*

"Sir, there's been another Scourge of the Underworld murder." A Shield agent said as she ran up to Captain America and Steve turned around. "Mr. Fish was murdered at the docs by a Scourge agent posing as a dock worker."

"What? No, he didn't!" A male Shield agent said as he ran up to the pair. "The Spider-Man villain known as the Squid was gunned down as he was robbing a convenience store, the Scourge was disguised as one of his henchmen, that murder took place nowhere near the docks, it couldn't have been the same vigilante even if he managed to get from the docks to the residential area, besides Mr. Fish's murderer threw his shotgun into the ocean."

"You're both right." Captain America interrupted their argument and the two agents turned to him. "I've seen multiple reports confirming both murders, if anything this confirms that this isn't a lone vigilante copying the Scourge's MO."

"So, the Scourge of the Underworld organization is back?" The female Shield agent asked, and Captain America nodded. "Any advice? They don't seem to be using their old uniform."

"If we can catch one of the Scourge agents in the act then we can interrogate him, until then we'll have to keep our eyes peeled." Captain America responded before another Shield agent ran up. "If this is about the latest Scourge of the Underworld hit, I already know about it."

"No sir, remember those mutants I described? Well the mutants who fought Shocker, Rhino and Jack O'Lantern match the descriptions given by the thugs." The agent said before handing over his report. "We have a confirmation on their identities thanks to immigration files on their parents, the girl is Katrina Sheng Lao, eighteen years old, parents moved over from China in mid-2000, the boy is Marco Gordano, also eighteen, like Katrina his family moved over from Italy when he was young."

"And now they are trying their hand at crime fighting." Captain America responded as he scanned the report. "Make their parents an offer that I'm sure Katrina and Marco won't refuse."

"Sir?" The male agent asked as Captain America started to walk away.

"It's clear to me that these kids don't even know the full extent of their powers, I won't risk two lives being snuffed out just because they got cocky." Captain America added before walking off.

*meanwhile*

By now Katrina and Marco were back home from the hospital having been treated for their injuries and whilst Katrina had to stay at the hospital a bit longer due to the injuries sustained at the hands of Rhino she injuries weren't as bad as initially feared.

" _Guess I can add "super endurance" to the list of my powers."_ Katrina thought as she finished tying her hair into a ponytail, the restaurant had gotten a large influx of customers that evening and her mother had asked her to help by cooking the various sauces. _"Off course, I'd much rather help out by going out and fighting crime, but I still need time for my injuries to heal."_ Katrina thought before lifting her crop top a bit to look at her bandaged ribs. _"Maybe Marco was right about leaving Rhino, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern to Spider-Man, but those guys are behind bars and unless they break out I won't have to worry about them."_

"Katrina are you ready yet?" Lin's voice rang out and Katrina let go of her top. "The Sweet and Sour Sauce for the Dumplings isn't going to cook itself!"

"Coming mom." Katrina responded before putting an apron on. _"Still surprised mom's letting me cook that sauce to order, it's one of the restaurant's best sellers."_ Katrina thought before going into the kitchen and seeing her mother preparing the dumplings whilst stir frying with a wok at the same time. "Okay, how many orders for the dumplings do you have?"

"Four, two for the pork, one for the shrimp and one for the chicken." Lin responded, and Katrina looked over to the sauce station and saw the pans were ready for her alongside the ingredients for the sauce. "After all the excitement you had earlier cooking should take your mind off it."

" _Yeah, because clearly cooking on the line for a Chinese Restaurant isn't as stressful as fighting three Supervillains."_ Katrina thought as she grabbed four pans, put them on the stove and started heating them up whilst she started preparing the sauce for the dishes. _"Still, I used to make this sauce all the time with mom back in Woodstock, so this should be second nature to me, hopefully."_ Katrina thought as she went through all the steps in her head for the sauce. _"Yeah, okay, the sauces are coming together, as long as mom doesn't get any more orders…."_

"Katrina, two more orders for dumplings, you'll find more pans under the station." Lin's voice broke Katrina's train of thought and Katrina ran a hand down her face using her free hand before bending over to grab more pans.

" _This would be so much easier if I got multiple arms to go with my other mutant powers."_ Katrina thought as she grabbed as many pans as she could and put two of them on the stove whilst setting the others aside. _"Then again, if I did have multiple arms I would've been busted as a mutant the moment I got home yesterday!"_ Katrina thought before tasting four of the other sauces and pouring them into small jugs. "Four Sweet and Sour Sauces coming up behind."

"Leave them beside me." Lin responded, and Katrina did so allowing her mother to serve the dumpling dish, Lin had some words with the server in Mandarin, but it was none of the words Katrina knew so she returned to her station. "Katrina how are the other sauces coming along? We have hungry customers."

"They're coming, I can't make them cook any faster." Katrina responded as she checked on the two other sauces that she was cooking. _"I guess I could try breathing fire on them, but I didn't think to test how hot the fire is yesterday, granted I could've easily set fire to the park in the process but still…"_ Katrina's train of thought was interrupted by shouting coming from the restaurant. "The customers can't be that hungry, can they?"

"You clearly don't remember how you were as a child Katrina!" Lin responded getting a laugh out of Katrina, but the laughter soon died down once she heard what the voices were shouting.

"DOWN WITH MUTANTS! DOWN WITH MUTANTS! DOWN WITH MUTANTS!" The chants rang out throughout the restaurant so loud to the point were Katrina couldn't even hear her mother's wok preparing the stir fry and Katrina glanced out of the kitchen.

" _Six of them, all carrying protest signs, and here I thought the worst I'd have to put up with after moving here was racist pricks!"_ Katrina thought before going to turn off the stove. "I'm going out there, either they leave peacefully, or I'll throw them out!"

"Katrina, no!" Lin's voice rang out and Katrina paused. "Even if you didn't get injured during the fight back there, violence is never the answer with these people, it'll only fuel their arguments, an eye for an eye and the world goes blind."

"They're disrupting your business mom! Your pacificism is all well and good but it won't do us much good if the restaurant goes under because of those pricks!" Katrina responded as she noticed several customers who hadn't ordered yet were leaving without so much as giving an order. _"How did they even find this place? The press never released my name, or Marco's for that matter!"_

"She's harboring a mutie in the kitchen!" The leader of the group, a man who was at least forty and very overweight, called out once he spotted Katrina. "Get her out of here! DOWN WITH MUTANTS! DOWN WITH MUTANTS!" The crowd of protestors resumed chanting and a couple near the entrance to the restaurant started picking up rocks and passing them to the other protestors before they started throwing them at the kitchen.

" _Great, their throwing rocks at the kitchen, I have to do something before…."_ Katrina's thoughts were interrupted when a couple of rocks hit her mother in the back of the head knocking her down. "MOM!" Katrina said as she rushed over to her mother's side.

"Don't worry about me, I've had worse." Lin reassured her daughter who breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at the protestors. "Katrina be careful!" Lin said as her daughter took off her apron and threw it to the floor before storming out of the kitchen.

"Have you people no shame!?" Katrina shouted as the protestors as she marched right up to the protestors and got nose to nose with their leader. "My mother's fifty years old and you just threw rocks at her head!"

"What are you going to do about it mutie?!"" The leader demanded before spitting in her face. "You people don't belong here! Being a mutant is bad enough but an immigrant as well?!"

"My parents came over here legally." Katrina responded as her eyes narrowed. "And that's two counts of assault you just committed, if I were you I'd get out of here before I give you more than just a piece of my mind!"

"Are you threatening me?!" The leader demanded as Katrina glared at him. "You damn chinks are…." The leader never finished his sentence as Katrina kneed him in the balls causing him to double over.

"That was your first warning!" Katrina said as she glared at the much larger man. "Get out and never return or you'll get worse!"

"You just assaulted me, you dumb bitch!" The leader said as he and his followers started to leave the restaurant. "And I'll be pressing charges."

"What? With a restaurant full of witnesses who'll say that you started the fight?" Katrina responded as she wiped the spit from her cheek and the other patrons cheered in support of the Chinese teenager as she stood up to someone who was easily twice as heavy as she was. "Oh, and by the way? My dad's a cop in the NYPD, who do you think he's going to believe?" Katrina added, and the protestors hesitated before making their leave, once they were gone Katrina sighed in relief before turning to see one of the servers checking on her mom. "How is she?" Katrina asked as she walked up to the counter.

"Lin's fine, those rocks barely grazed her, I think the only reason she was knocked down was the element of surprise." The server responded, and Katrina breathed a sigh of relief as her mother got back to her feet. "I'm surprised you didn't literally kick them out."

"Believe me, I wanted to, but I didn't want to aggravate my injuries." Katrina responded before turning to her mother. "You okay mom?"

"Better now that those idiots have left." Lin responded, and Katrina grinned in response. "I told you before Katrina, an eye for an eye…."

"Makes the whole world go blind, I know." Katrina said with a sigh as she glanced towards the entrance. "But I couldn't stand there and let him hurl abuse at us like that, also how did they even find this place? The news never revealed my name."

"That is a good question." Lin agreed before motioning to the sauce station. "Hopefully they won't return but we still need those sauces ready."

"After that? I could use a break." Katrina nodded in agreement before going back into the kitchen and grabbing her apron off the floor. _"Once the restaurant shift ends I should call Marco, if those idiots are willing to disrupt a dinner service to protest my existence then I wouldn't be surprised if they show up at his place, or worse, his dad's place of work."_ Katrina thought as she put the apron back on and turned on the stove. "I'm going to have to reheat the sauces I had on when those idiots came in, I turned it off to avoid overcooking the ingredients, shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Katrina told her mother who turned to her.

"Considering the circumstances, I'm sure the customers will let it slide." Lin assured her, and Katrina nodded in response.

*the next morning*

That night the nightmares didn't return to Katrina, so she had a good night's sleep all things considered, however once she got to school the next morning the real headache had just begun.

"What do you mean "I'm off the track team"?" Katrina asked the coach of the track team who she had talking to during her first day and was all to eager to have her on the team at the time. "You saw my accomplishments in my other school…..."

"Yes, and how do I know that you didn't use your mutant powers to cheat at those events?" The coach asked, and Katrina's jaw hung agape at the accusation. "Sorry Katrina but this comes from the top, after school officials recognized you from the news yesterday they made the decision to pull you out of the team."

"I didn't get my powers until two days ago!" Katrina protested but her protests fell on deaf ears. "My parents will appeal that decision…."

"And they'll lose that appeal, the vote to pull you out was unanimous." The coach responded, and Katrina growled. "Now hurry along to lunch, you are making a scene and if this continues then maybe your time on the track team won't be the only thing cut short by the school board." The coach added, and Katrina growled before storming off towards the lunch hall.

" _This is such bullshit! I use my powers for good and it blows up in my face."_ Katrina thought as she made her way into the lunch hall, she got some looks once the other students recognized her from the news, but she paid them no mind as she got her lunch and looked for a place to sit. _"First, I get injured, then there was that incident at the restaurant last night and now this! At this rate my parents will have to home school me!"_

"Hey Katrina!" Marco's voice rang out and she looked around before spotting him at a table in the corner, she walked over to hm and sat down opposite him. "Just saving you the trouble of finding another place to sit, none of the other students wanted anything to do with me and I doubt they'll want anything to do with you either."

"If only being an outcast was the only thing I had to worry about." Katrina sighed as she stated eating her food. "You want to know why I was late to lunch? I ran into the track team coach just outside the lunch hall and he went and pulled me out of the team before I could get started!"

"Your kidding?" Marco asked with a shocked look on his face and Katrina shook her head. "Why would he pull you out? Any coach worth his tracksuit would kill to have a talent like you on his team."

"Take a guess." Katrina responded with an annoyed sigh and it didn't take long for it to dawn on Marco.

"He pulled you out because of your mutant powers?" Marco asked, and Katrina nodded as her frown deepened. "I'm guessing your going to have your parents file an appeal?"

"If it was that easy I'd be on the phone to them already." Katrina responded as she shifted her weight. "But apparently it was a unanimous decision by the board, they thought that I was going to cheat and use my powers to give myself an advantage." Katrina added before shaking her head. "If I had Super Speed, sure, I could understand that, but I don't see how flight, super strength, endurance and the ability to breathe fire helps me at track!"

"I don't know, beating the crap out of your opponents?" Marco asked, and Katrina rolled her eyes.

"If your trying to help, your doing a terrible job at it." Katrina added with an annoyed sigh. "If it weren't for the fact that my powers saved me from gang raped the other day I'd almost wish I never got them."

"Your talking about the incident at the restaurant?" Marco asked once he remembered the call he got last night, and Katrina nodded. "Fortunately, no one's shown up at home or at my dad's workplace with signs like that, I don't know what I'd do if I was in your shoes when things escalated."

"If he hadn't had left when he did I would've done a lot more than knee him in the balls, that's for sure." Katrina responded as she finished her lunch. "Fortunately, the rest of the dinner service passed without incident and a few patrons complemented me for standing up for my mom like that, however, I think we should definitely get costumes before we take on any more Supervillains."

"Only thing is, from where? Sophia stopped making the costumes she was making when dad told her too and I'm pretty sure that getting cheap Halloween costumes will make us the laughing stock of the Superhero community." Marco responded, and Katrina shook her head.

"We'll think of something." Katrina responded as she set her tray aside. "Dad's still trying to figure out how those anti-mutant protestors figured out where I lived but if you get any trouble give me a call."

"You sure about that?" Marco asked with a grin and Katrina grinned as well guessing where this was going almost immediately. "I mean, six guys armed with only a bunch of signs might be your biggest challenge yet!" Marco added as he went to take a sip of his drink.

"Wouldn't be the first time I beat off several guys at the same time!" Katrina responded, and Marco nearly spat out his drink, once Katrina replayed the sentence in her head she facepalmed hard. "That sentence does not leave this table, understood?"

"Your secret's safe with me." Marco assured Katrina and she grinned in response. "So, are your parents taking any steps to stop this from happening again."

"Well, they can't afford to hire security guards, I offered to be a one-woman security team, but my dad shot down that idea in a hurry out of fear that a protestor would show up armed with a gun." Katrina responded as she leaned back. "But that doesn't mean they aren't taking steps to ensure this won't happen again, they are getting CCTV cameras installed in the restaurant, if that bastard shows up again with his goons we'll have him on CCTV and judging from his behavior last night? I'd be surprised if this was the first time he's done something like this."

"I was about to say, someone like that probably has a long list of convictions for hate crimes, I mean he didn't exactly hesitate to use an ethnic slur against Chinese people when you confronted him." Marco pointed out and Katrina nodded in agreement. "Though now that I think about it, I'm surprised you didn't send him flying when you kneed him in the balls."

"I am slowly but surely learning to pull my punches with my super strength." Katrina admitted as she cracked her fingers to illustrate her point. "Then again, the fact that I nearly tore the door to my bedroom off its hinges last night when I was sneaking out to get a midnight snack shows that I still have a lot to learn."

"I'm going to assume that woke your parents up?" Marco asked as he tried not to laugh, and Katrina nodded. "So, you pulled your punches on the kick to the guy's balls?"

"Much as I wanted to put all my strength into that kick, he was still a civilian exercising his right to free speech, if I had kicked him had enough to kill him then that would've just added more fuel to the protestors' fire." Katrina added as she finished her drink. "Alongside other consequences that I really, really don't want to think about!"

"Yeah, I'm with you there." Marco admitted before they heard a voice clear their throat and looked up seeing the clerk from the retail store the Squid had tried to rob.

"Hey, you guys mind if I join you?" He asked, and the two teens nodded before he sat down. "Thanks, I was sitting with my friends over there, but they were so caught up in their own thing that I figured you'd be better company."

"To be honest, we're just glad to have company." Marco responded, and the clerk nodded with a grin before sitting down. "I'm Marco, she's Katrina, or Kat for short, as for the whole reason we're sitting on our own, well unfortunately the rest of the student body wants nothing to do with us because we're mutants"

"Yeah, I know, I saw you on the news yesterday." The clerk responded before turning to Katrina. "My dad nearly fell out of his chair when he saw a little Asian girl send the Rhino flying."

"Hey, I'm not that little!" Katrina asserted, and the two boys scoffed. "Compared to most girls from the village in China my family lived in I'm practically a Supermodel! Anyway, I'm just hoping for a quiet day at School after all the excitement yesterday."

"You'll just have to take her word for it." Marco responded, and the clerk grinned. "Come to think of it, we never caught your name."

"Oh, sorry, my name's Max." Max responded as he shifted his weight. "So, what, are you two dating or something?"

"If I have a dollar for every time someone thought that me and Marco are a couple." Katrina responded as she shook her head. "Nah, we're just friends, childhood friends and all that."

"And before you say, "lots of couples start of that way", we've heard that a lot as well." Marco responded, and Max grinned in response, however before they could say anything else the far wall of the lunch hall exploded, and the students took cover. "Just once, just once I would just like to have a day go by without our lives being in danger!"

"Good afternoon students." Two figures stepped through the rubble and Kat and Marco looked up seeing two men, one was tall and lanky in a black and white suit with wild brown hair whilst his partner was a mountain of a man armed with two shoulder cannons. "My name is Styx and my associate's name is Stone, you are going to be our hostages for the next couple of hours until the mayor pays us a million dollars each or else." Styx added as Stone peppered his shoulder cannons.


	4. High School Never Ends

A few minutes before the attack on Mid-Town High the NYPD was just having another day at the office and for Katrina's dad the day was only going to get more hectic.

"You still haven't found those protestors that attacked my wife's restaurant?" Howard asked over the radio and frowned when he got a response. "They couldn't have gotten far, check the hospitals for their leader at least!" Howard added before putting the radio down and running a hand through his hair. _"I should've been there, I could've defused the situation before my wife got hurt and Katrina got involved! Still, the fact that Katrina fought back against the leader will make tracking him down easier…"_ Howard's train of thought was interrupted by a file being dropped onto his desk and he looked up. "Jenny, can I help you?" Howard asked when he saw his partner standing in front of the desk.

"You can explain why this file was checked out of evidence storage just before your chat with Katrina yesterday." Jenny responded with a frown on her face before she sat down. "The officer in charge of the Scourge of the Underworld case went to check the file for any consistencies between the murders of White Rabbit and Mr. Fish and the murder of the Squid only to find it missing, he'd ask you himself but he's off chasing a lead, so he asked me to investigate."

"I suppose that it is a good question." Howard admitted before sighing. "I checked it out to show Katrina the crime scene photos." Howard added, and Jenny's jaw dropped. "Jenny, at the rate she was going Katrina was going to get herself or Marco killed, I had to show her that this isn't a game."

"So, you showed your eighteen-year-old daughter pictures of murdered Supercriminals?!" Jenny demanded as she ran a hand down her face. "I don't disagree with your point, I know that if that was my little sister pulling dangerous stunts like that I'd want to scare her straight as well, but you risked traumatizing your own daughter for life."

"It's better that she get traumatized now rather than killed later." Howard responded before sighing. "And between that and the attack at my wife's restaurant yesterday she needed the wakeup call."

"I'm not about to argue that point but I can think of at least a dozen better ways to go about it." Jenny responded before sighing. "Where's Katrina now?"

"She's at school, who knows, maybe doing some athletics will do her some good." Howard sighed but before his boss emerged from the office with a look of panic.

"People, we have a hostage situation at Mid-Town High." The chief said, and Howard's eyes widened when he heard that. "The Supervillain duo known as Styx and Stone just took a lunch hall full of teenagers hostage and are demanding two million dollars, I don't think I need to say what the consequences are if they don't get that money, but I want everyone at the school now!" The chief added, and the officers quickly mobilized.

"Mid-Town High? Didn't you say that Katrina was enrolled at that school?" Jenny asked, and Howard nodded grimly.

"I picked that high school because it seemed like the quietest one and their athletic program was excellent." Howard sighed as he stood up. "And just to make matters worse, Marco is enrolled there as well."

"You want me to call Marco's father?" Jenny offered, and Howard shook his head.

"I don't doubt that Marco will need parental support after this is all over, but I'd rather not risk another civilian getting caught in the crossfire." Howard responded before the two officers left the precinct. _"Katrina, please stay safe and don't do anything stupid!"_

*back at the school*

"That's it, no one be a hero, no one gets hurt!" Stone bellowed over the whole lunch hall as he hovered over the terrified teenagers on his rocket boost. "Not even Spider-Man can save you now!"

" _If I can just get away from the crowd we won't need Spider-Man."_ Katrina thought as she glared at the two Supervillains from across the hall. "Marco, have you got a connection yet?" Katrina whispered to him and Marco shook his head.

"The WIFI signal in this area is so spotty I'm surprised the IT classes can get any work done." Marco grunted in annoyance as he waited for the internet to connect. "Of all the days for me to run out of data!"

"I'll take that as a no then." Katrina responded before glancing up and seeing Styx walking back and forth. "You heard anything about these guys?"

"Not much other than their a Supervillain duo and the thin one's Styx and the big one's Stone." Marco shrugged his shoulders and Katrina gave him a "really?" look. "What do you expect me to say? I'll try connecting to a Wi-Fi network outside of the school, with any luck I'll get connected."

"Hey, you guys were the mutants from TV, right?" Katrina and Marco looked up and saw one of the football players talking to them. "Can't you do anything about them?"

"If I could I would've flown up and decked the big guy!" Katrina responded as she leaned against the wall. "But he's across the hall from me, as soon as he spots me there's nothing I could do to stop him from opening fire on the students." Katrina added, and the jock winced before nodding in understanding, Katrina looked around and noticed the Fire Exit just a few feet from her. _"If I had a distraction I could try to sneak over to the fire exit, problem is the moment I open that door the fire alarm will go off and those bastards will be right on my tail."_

"Kat, I'm finally connected to the Internet!" Marco's voice rang out breaking Katrina's train of thought as she turned to him. "Had to connect to the school's private staff only network but that was easy enough to hack into and more importantly, I know what we're dealing with." Marco added as he read the info. "And it doesn't look good, thanks to a failed attempt at curing cancer Styx is basically walking cancer, his touch is lethal to anyone and it can destroy inorganic matter, probably explains how they blew up the wall."

"That's probably why he turned to villainy." Kat snarked as she glanced at the phone. "Couldn't even play with himself thanks to his condition."

"Why do you always bring it back to "x jerkass can't get a date"?" Marco asked, and Katrina shook her head. "As for Stone, he's got no real powers, just those guns on his shoulders."

"Wait, the big guy was trying to cure cancer when he caused the little guy's condition?" Katrina asked, and Marco nodded. "No wonder it went so wrong, he went to a bodybuilder to try to cure it."

"Hey, don't look at me, I'm just reading the info." Marco responded before pocketing the phone. "But these guys are going to a lot more dangerous than Shocker so watch yourself!" Marco added before the doors to the lunch hall opened.

"You bastards aren't going to get away with this!" The track team coach said as he marched into the lunch hall prompting the two Supervillains to turn to him. "No one threatens these kids on my watch!"

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Styx asked but quickly got his answer when the coach threw one of the turned over chairs at Stone knocking him off balance before he started punching Styx in the stomach.

"Kat, now's our chance!" Marco whispered to her and Katina nodded in agreement. "You take the big guy, I worry about the little…." Marco never finished his sentence as the blood curdling scream of the coach rang out through out the hall and teenagers looked up seeing that Styx had grabbed the coach by the throat, the Supervillain kept his grip tight around the coach's neck until he stopped moving at which point Styx let go and let the coach fall to the ground dead. "Or not."

"Let this serve as a warning to all of you." Styx said as he motioned to the dead coach and several students looked like they were minutes away from vomiting. "Anyone who tries to play hero will meet the same fate, either by my hand…." Styx added before motioning to Stone's guns. "Or Stone's guns."

" _They killed him, in cold blood!"_ Katrina thought as her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. _"I was pissed at him for pulling me off the team sure, but I'd never wish that on anyone! Much as I hate to say it, I wish some hero would show up already."_

*meanwhile outside*

"This is your last chance Styx and Stone!" The negotiator said through a megaphone as the police surrounded the school, by now the parents of the students at the school, including Katrina's mom and Marco's dad, had gathered behind a barrier with lucks of concern on their faces whilst the press was reporting on the situation behind them. "Let the students go and no one gets hurt." He added but after a few seconds of no response he turned to the captain. "They're not listening captain and there's no way the mayor's office can get the two million dollars needed."

"I told them not to negotiate with criminals." The chief grunted in annoyance as he looked towards the school. "We can't just storm in there, if we do they'd just open fire on the students!"

"Maybe I can be off some help?" A new voice rang out and the captain looked up to see Captain America approaching them from behind. "What's the situation captain?"

"There's at least fifty students being held captive by the Supervillain duo known as Styx and Stone." The Captain responded as he turned to the superhero. "They're demanding two million dollars, or they kill everyone inside, only there's no way we can get the money together in time!"

"I've heard enough." Captain America said with a frown as he stepped forward. "I'm going in."

"Captain, please, listen to me for a moment." Howard interrupted him, and Captain America turned to him. "My daughter's in there alongside her boyfriend, they have mutant powers and I'm worried that they are going to do something that'll get them killed."

" _Could he be talking about Katrina Sheng Lao and Marco Gordano?"_ Captain America thought before nodding. "Don't worry yourself officer, I'll make sure everyone gets out safe, your daughter and her friend included."

"I'm one of the parents of a teenage daughter with mutant powers, its my job to be worried." Howard responded, and Captain America nodded in understanding. "But thank you, she's always idolized heroes like you."

"If she asks for an autograph I'll be happy to give her one." Captain America responded before walking towards the school.

*back inside the school*

"Marco, we need to get out of here." Katrina commented as she turned to her Italian classmate. "My legs have pins and needles for days and besides, whose to say those bastards will honor the agreement once we're out?" Katrina added, and Marco shook his head.

"How? The fire exit will tip them off in rapid time, smashing a window open won't get us anywhere." Marco pointed out and Katrina frowned. "I'm not disagreeing with you, but we need a plan! This isn't like the battle against Rhino, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern, peoples' lives are at stake aside from ours."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Katrina asked as she glared at the two Supervillains. "But it's killing me that we can't do anything about it!"

"Oh, look at at that!" Styx said as he checked the time on his stopwatch and closed it. "You just ran out of time boys and girls! Stone, open fire!"

"With pleasure!" The much larger man responded as he powered up his weapons and the students hugged each other for support.

"Looks like this it Katrina." Marco said as the two teens huddled closely. "I never got a chance to say this but Kat, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time."

"What is it?" Katrina sked as she turned to him with the two teens' faces inches away from each other.

"Kat, I love you, I have for years and I never got a chance to spit it out!" Marco responded, and Kat said nothing for a few minutes. "Oh fuck, last few minutes of my life and I manage to screw up my dying declaration of love!"

"Marco, I…." Katrina never finished her sentence as an all too familiar shield contacted with Stone's head knocking him off his booster and the teens looked up to see Captain America standing in front of the rubble. "We'll talk about that later! Cap needs our help!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Marco responded before he ran across the hall and Katrina took flight.

"You ruined everything!" Styx seethed as he glared at Captain America.

"I think you have bigger problems!" Captain America responded as he noticed that Kat had taken flight and was making a beeline for Stone as the villain scrambled to his feet.

"What are you talking about?!" Styx demanded but quickly got his answer as Kat connected with a flying roundhouse kick that sent Stone flying through an undamaged part of the wall.

" _Oh, I hope the school doesn't make my parents pay for damages!"_ Kat thought as the larger Supervillain got back on his feet. "You want to go big guy? I'm waiting!" Katrina challenged Stone as she got into a fighting stance.

" _The foolish girl just sealed her doom!"_ Styx thought as he went to grab Katrina by the neck, however a series of plates, cutlery and even chairs started being flung his way and Styx quickly ducked out of the way. "What now?"

"You really want me to answer that question?" Marco asked as he used his telepathy to levitate several objects around him. "Besides, shouldn't you be more worried about the guy in the costume?"

"Huh?" Styx asked only for Captain America to spin him and punch him. "Stone, we must retreat!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Stone responded before the two villains escaped through the hole in the wall Katrina's kick had caused.

"After them!" Captain America ordered the two teens and they nodded before taking off after the villains, however the three heroes never caught up to the villains and met up back at the lunch hall. "Any sign of them?"

"Wherever they are, they're long gone by now." Katrina sighed in response before she took a deep breath. _"Must resist the urge to squeal like a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert, well, younger teenage girl but still."_

"Don't mind her, she's been a fan of yours since, well, forever." Marco chuckled as he noticed the big grin on Katrina's face. "I'm…."

"Marco Gordano and Katrina Sheng Lao?" Captain America asked, and the two teens shared a look of shock before nodding. "We have a lot to talk about but first, let's get you reunited with your families."

"Err, yeah, sure." Marco responded whilst Katrina had seemingly lost the ability to talk.

*meanwhile*

Turns out the three heroes had just missed Styx and Stone as they had managed to allude them, however that was far from the only thing on their mind.

"I told you this was a bad idea Styx!" Stone grunted as the two villains escaped via a fire exit that took them out into the recess area where there was a few janitors cleaning up. "Now there's going to be a nationwide manhunt for us!"

"Fine, we'll flee the country and start a new life abroad!" Styx grunted as the two villains walked towards the fence separating the recess area from the outside world. "I've heard Spain's lovely this time of year!"

"Maybe we should go with a country that doesn't have extradition treaties with the US!" Stone responded with a frown as the villains passed by a janitor.

"Bah, its not like we'll spend long in prison anyway, we can break free at…" Styx never finished his sentence as single gunshot rang out and he span around, Stone had been shot through the chest by the janitor and Styx's eyes widened. "STONE!" Styx shouted as his partner in crime fell dead at his feet with the janitor standing over hm. "Scourge of the Underworld huh? I refuse to be another one of your victims!" Styx shouted as he lunged for the Scourge agent, but the agent unloaded another shot into the villain's stomach killing him instantly causing him to land on top of Stone.

"Justice is served, Styx and Stone!" The Scourge agent said simply before leaving the scene of the crime.

*a few minutes earlier*

"Yes Tom, I am reporting live from Mid-Town High where the Supervillains Styx and Stone have taken a whole lunch room full of students hostage." The female reporter said into the camera before she motioned to the school, in truth she was one of several news reporters on sight, but they were all conveying the same thing to the audience at home. "Captain America was last seen entering the building, we can only hope that he can get the kids to safety."

" _I haven't been this nervous since the day Katrina was born."_ Howard thought as he kept his gun trained on the school, he briefly glanced back towards his wife who was clearly besides herself with worry.

"Sir, we haven't heard anything from Captain America since he entered the school." Jenny said to the captain who clearly shared her concerns. "Maybe we should…..." Jenny never finished her sentence as two loud gunshots rang out from within the school. "Oh my god!"

"Shots fired! I repeat shots fired! All officers converge on the school now!" The Captain commanded, and the police officers started to approach the building with their weapons drawn.

" _Oh my god, Katrina, please tell me your okay?"_ Howard thought as he approached the entrance but as they did the doors opened and the officers pointed their guns. "Whoever you are, emerge slowly!" Howard shouted, and the order seemed to be shared with the other officers, at least until Captain America emerged with the teenagers in tow.

"Everyone lower your weapons." The Captain commanded his men as they watched the teens emerge one by one, however the one who was watching intently was Howard as he waited for his daughter, finally the last two teens emerged, and Howard breathed a massive sigh of relief when he was saw his daughter.

"Katrina, thank god." Howard said with a big grin on his face as his daughter ran up to him, Howard opened his arms for an embrace and Katrina took it. "It's okay, the nightmare's over." Howard assured her as Marco ran right past him and towards the line of waiting parents.

"Marco, over here!" His dad's voice rang out and Marco spotted his dad waiting for him in the crowd, once he was in range Marco's dad pulled him into a tight hug as tears of joy ran down his face. "When I heard those shots, I thought…. I thought I had lost you."

"Can't get rid of me that easily!" Marco joked trying to break the tension which worked as he got a laugh out of his dad, glancing over his shoulder Marco saw Katrina being pulled into a tight hug by her mother as the two women exchanged words in Mandarin. _"I never got a definitive answer when I confessed my love for Kat but I guess this isn't the time."_

"A fine job Captain America." The Captain complemented him and the Superhero nodded. "Where did those gunshots come from?"

"I couldn't say, and unfortunately Styx and Stone got away from us." Captain America said as he motioned towards Kat and Marco. "Last I saw them, they were still in the school grounds."

"Lao, Steele!" The captain said as he turned to Howard and Jenny. "Go inside the school and make sure it's secure, and if those bastards are alive I have a whole line of parents who would give anything for five minutes alone with them!"

"Say no more." Howard nodded in response before turning to Katrina. "Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"Sure dad, thanks." Katrina assured him, and Howard nodded as she glanced over at Captain America before Howard and Jenny made their way to the school.

"May I just say officer, you did an excellent job of raising your daughter." Captain America called out to Howard who hesitated before glancing over his shoulder with a grin.

"Thank you, Captain America, that means a lot coming from you." Howard responded before entering 5the school with Jenny.

*inside the school*

"Well, I guess we know where they came in." Jenny said as she spotted a large hole in one of the far walls and on the other side there was a hole in the fence around the same size. "Styx must've used his corrosive abilities to cut the holes."

"The school as CCTV, I'm sure the school board will be more than happy to hand over the tapes from today." Howard responded as he pointed to a camera in the corner of the hallway pointing towards the hole. "Camera doesn't look damaged so either they missed it or didn't consider being caught on camera something to avoid."

"All reports say they entered the lunch hall with an explosion so I'm willing to bet that it's the latter." Jenny nodded in agreement before turning around. "From here it's only a few feet to the lunch hall." Jenny added as the two offers followed the hallway and found the hole the explosion had caused. "Here's where they made their entrance, thank god no student was sitting next to that wall."

"Even after twenty years on the force, telling a parent that their son/daughter has been murdered never gets easier." Howard nodded in agreement before he spotted the coach's body and put a hand to his radio. "Captain, we have a casualty here, one of the teachers."

"Roger that Lao." The captain's response came through as Howard got a closer look. "Does he look like the shooting victim?"

"Negative sir, it looks like Styx's lethal touch did him in." Howard responded once he got a better look. "Soon as we find the shooting victims, we'll let you know but get the medical examiner down here."

"Roger that, the coroner should be here in five minutes, tops." The captain responded before hanging up.

"Judging from his uniform, it looks like he's one of the PE teachers." Jenny observed once she came over and Howard nodded.

"I met with him, he's the coach for the track team and when my family moved here one of my first priorities was getting Katrina signed up." Howard explained as he looked down at the coach's corpse. "She was so excited to start with the team and pick up where she left off at her old school, now the school's going to be closed for a few months whilst the repairs are done and even after all that, the school board will have to hire a new coach."

"Well, at least Katrina will get plenty of exercise in the meantime, if she gets fat from Super heroics I'm asking Captain America how he keeps his physique." Jenny responded before noticing the other hole in the wall. "This hole's a lot smaller, more human shaped, didn't Katrina say that she got Super Strength when her powers awakened."

"Yes, that seems to be the most likely cause." Howard nodded in agreement before they followed the hallway and eventually came outside. "I don't see any sign of them."

"The parents aren't going to be happy about that." Jenny responded with a frown before they had a closer look around, after five minutes they found what they were looking for. "Well, that answers the question of what happened to Styx and Stone." Jenny said as she looked at the two Supervillains' corpses. "Better call the captain back and tell him to have the medical examiner bring extra body bags, can't say that I'll be shedding any tears for those bastards though, not after the hell they put those kids through."

"Normally I'd disagree strongly with that, but as a parent I can't help but agree." Howard responded with a nod before noticing the discarded janitor's uniform. "Jenny, look!"

"A janitor did this? But their wounds look like shotgun wounds." Jenny said as she shook her head. "What janitor has access to a shotgun and why bring it…." Jenny trailed off as it hit her. "It wasn't a janitor, it was a Scourge of the Underworld!"

"I'm not sure what I would've preferred, who knows how long this agent has been lying in wait?" Howard asked before noticing the nametag. "Jenny, go ask the janitorial staff if Eddie Jackson has been acting strangely recently, I'm going to call in the murders."

"Will do." Jenny responded before walking off and Howard contacted the captain again.

"Captain, we've found Styx and Stone." Howard said into his radio as he looked at the bodies. "They are around the back of the school."

"Have you arrested those bastards yet?" The captain asked, and Howard shook his head.

"There's no need, a Scourge of the Underworld got to them first, disguised as a janitor." Howard responded before taking a deep breath. "Jenny's asking around to see if the janitorial staff noticed anything odd about the man who owns the uniform the Scourge borrowed, we'll keep you posted."

"Good work, I've got a press conference to give." The Captain responded before hanging up.

*a bit later back at the front of the school*

Once the kids had been reunited with their parents and the coroner had taken the three bodies away the press conference had been called quickly enough (which was easy to do with the press already present) and everyone present was waiting for it to start.

"Ah Kat, glad to see you were able to get away from your parents clutches for a few minutes." Marco commented as he saw the Asian girl approach him and Katrina grinned in response, they were near the front of the crowd just behind the press. "Whereabouts are they now?"

"Towards the back." Katrina responded as she pointed to them with her thumb. "I was just happy to be stand back and watch from afar but one of the guards said that I needed to be closer to the front for some reason." Katrina added, and Marco nodded. "Let me guess, same story?"

"Got it in one." Marco nodded in response and Katrina frowned in confusion. "Do you think it's got something to do with what Cap said to us after Styx and Stone got away?"

"I don't know, I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that a Superhero a famous as Captain America knows my name." Katrina responded with a massive grin on her face. "Oh, and I guess he knows your name as well."

"Gee, thanks." Marco responded with a playful glare and Katrina grinned. "Did your dad ever find those bastards? I overheard his boss telling him and Jenny to search the school."

"He didn't say but I did notice three body bags being loaded into the coroner's van." Katrina said before frowning. "I know it's a morbid thing to think about, but I only remember the coach being killed by Styx."

"Yeah, I don't remember anyone else trying a stunt like that until Cap showed up." Marco nodded in agreement as the two teens saw everyone getting into position. "So, Kat, I know this is an awkward time to bring this up but, about what I said back there." Marco said as he turned to her. "I know it was stupid, but I really thought we were going to bite the big one, that said, you given any thought to it since then?" Marco added, and Katrina lowered her head.

"Marco, I…." Katrina's reply was cut off when the press conference started. "I think we should wait until we're somewhere a bit quieter."

"Agreed." Marco nodded in agreement as the press conference started.

"Earlier today, the worst nightmare any parent could experience came true as two Supervillains took a lunch hall full of students hostage." The captain started as the cameras started rolling. "I am pleased to announce that the hostage situation was resolved thanks to the heroic efforts of Captain America." The police captain added as he motioned to the Superhero and the crowd cheered. "Unfortunately, there was one casualty as a member of the faculty heroically gave his life in an attempt to save the students, but the students can rest easy knowing that the villains were found dead by my officers in a suspected Scourge of the Underworld hit!" The police captain added, and the crowd cheered though none as loudly as the students, with two exceptions.

"Scourge of the Underworld?" Katrina echoed before glancing over at Marco. "I knew they came back, but I had no idea that they were this close."

"That makes two of us." Marco responded with a nod as he folded his arms. "I know we don't have criminal records, but I think we should watch our backs." Marco added, and Katrina nodded in agreement.

"Now I understand that Captain America has a few words that he wants to say." The police captain said as he stepped aside, and the Superhero stepped up to the podium.

"When I saw the news report on TV that reported on the hostage situation I knew I had to do something." Captain America said as he looked over the crowd and seemingly ignored the reporters. "If it wasn't for my timely arrival then this conference would have taken a much more somber tone but I couldn't have resolved it as quickly as it did if it weren't for the heroic actions of two students who had been taken hostage, two students with powers of their own."

"Kat, he's talking about us!" Marco said with a mixture of shock and excitement in his voice. "Kat?" Marco asked when he got no reply and he looked up seeing that the Chinese girl had been rendered speechless again. "Seriously Kat."

"With the permission of their parents, I would like to call those two students up to the stage." Captain America added, and Kat snapped out of it just in time for it to sink in. "Katrina Sheng Lao and Marco Gordano come on up!"

"Wait, what?!" Kat asked and a quick glance over at Marco confirmed that he was just as shocked as she was. "So, Marco, do you want to walk or go up there in style?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask but what do you mean by "style"? Marco asked, and he quickly got his answer as Kat grabbed him and flew up to the stage with him in hand, the two teens landed, and Marco gave her a mock glare. "You could've waited for me to say yes or no first!"

"Glad to see that you still know how to make an entrance." Captain America chuckled, and Katrina grinned. "You just saw some of her abilities, but she has more up her sleeve."

"Yeah but I'm not one to show off." Katrina responded, and Marco scoffed.

"Coughbullshitcough!" Marco coughed out the word at Kat rolled her eyes.

"You'd better get that cough looked at." Kat commented with a grin and Marco grinned back.

"With heroic superpowered teenagers like them, I am confident that New York will be safe." Captain America added, and the crowd cheered. "Anything you want to say to your adoring public?" Captain America whispered to the two teens who shared a look before shaking their heads. "That is all from me, I will hand it back to the police captain so that he can wrap this up." Captain America added before stepping off he podium and motioning Katrina and Marco to follow him.

"Whilst we are thankful to the Scourge organization for dealing with these dangerous criminals we cannot and will not tolerate vigilante executions in this city!" The police captain told the crowd of reporters as the crowd of students cheered. "My officers will work tirelessly to bring the Scourge of the Underworld to justice! They may target Supervillains today but how long until an innocent person gets caught in the crossfire? And to what lengths will these vigilantes go to so they can reach a target? If the murderer of Styx and Stone is watching this now, then be warned for your days are numbered!"

*meanwhile at an unknown location*

"Damn blow hard." A mysterious figure commented as he watched the news after putting the shotgun used to execute Styx and Stone down beside the TV. "I did the world a favor by eliminating those scumbags and they declare war on me? I'm only doing the job that no one, Superhero or police officer, could do!"

"You know Gibson, it has often been said that talking to yourself is a sign of madness." A British accent rang out from the shadows and Gibson nearly fell out of his chair when he heard it.

"Target?!" The Scourge of the Underworld member asked as the figure emerged from the shadows, it was a tall man wearing a full body suit that was blue in color and had several bulls' eyes painted on, it only exposed his eyes and he was armed with several weapons. "When did you get here?"

"When you returned from the school." Target responded as he folded his arms. "If you had killed Styx and Stone when you were told too that innocent man's life wouldn't have been taken!"

"Sorry, but there was no way I could get a clear shot on them." Gibson responded as the cameras zoomed in on Katrina and Marco. "My next hit will be straight to the point. I promise."

"You'd better, or you'll be my next hit." Target responded simply before walking off as Gibson gulped before reaching for his gun.

"I could kill you, right now!" Gibson said as he went to grab the gun. "Yeah, your still wanted for the hits on White Rabbit and Mr. Fish, what do you have that I don't!?"

"One, simple fact." Target responded before drawing a silenced pistol and shooting at Gibson's hand as it reached for the gun, Gibson screamed in pain as the bullet went through his hand and he clutched it tightly. "I never miss."


	5. The Future is Now

" _Man, what a crazy day this has been."_ Marco thought as he and Katrina followed Captain America down the alleyway away from the school, the two teens could hear the press conference wrapping up behind them, but they couldn't hear what was being said to the reporters by the police captain. _"First the student body gets taken hostage by Styx and Stone, then they get killed by the Scourge of the Underworld and now Captain America wants to speak with us in private, could this get any better?"_ Marco thought before glancing over at Katrina. _"Oh right, it could if Katrina could get a chance to respond to my declaration of love, but I'll let that slide."_

"What you kids did back there was very brave, don't know many eighteen-year olds that would jump into action like that." Captain America said as he turned to the two teens and they stopped in their tracks. "I suppose you want to make the jump to Superheroics?"

"Are you kidding?" Katrina asked with a grin on her face. "Ever since I saw my first Superhero I've been drawing pictures of me as a Superhero and now that I've got the power to live that dream? I'm not giving that up!" Katrina added before face-palming. "And I just had to admit that on my first meeting with a Superhero, great!"

"Do you have those drawings with you?" Captain America asked with an amused look his face and Kat reached into her backpack before producing the textbook with the drawings in it.

"She still hasn't quite grasped the fact that text books are for writing in." Marco added, and Katrina rolled her eyes. "What?"

"This coming from the guy who would frequently draw Thrash Metal band logos into his text books until he got called to the guidance councilor's office because they feared that he was going to shoot up the school?" Katrina asked with a raised eyebrow and Marco laughed nervously. "Anyway, you were asking about my drawings?"

"Can I see them?" Captain America asked, and Katrina hesitated before handing them over.

"My drawings are on page one through three." Katrina added as Captain America started going through them. "I know my drawings are bad, but my drawing skills never progressed beyond fifth grade level."

"I've seen them and she's being generous." Marco added, and Katrina gave him a mock death glare. "What? It's true!"

"Like your drawings are any better?" Katrina responded, and Marco shook his head.

"Hey, at least when I try to draw human figures I don't start with a stick man, really Kat, the only way I can tell your drawings are supposed to be off you is because you go to the extra effort of drawing boobs and something that vaguely looks like your hair." Marco responded, and Katrina shook her head before Captain America handed her textbook out.

"I've seen better drawings but if nothing else that confirms that you've got a creative mind Katrina." Captain America chuckled, and Kat stuck her tongue out at Marco for a few seconds who rolled his eyes. "But back on topic, I know you two already tried your hand at crimefighting when you helped Spider-Man apprehend Shocker, Rhino and Jack O'Lantern yesterday, but you need to understand, being a Superhero is not all fun and games, eventually you'll get your own Supervillains who want to kill you."

"Cap, you met my dad back there and you know he's a cop." Katrina said as she motioned towards the police cars and Captain America nodded. "Believe me, I understand, there's a long history of police work on my dad's side of the family and he's been putting his life on the line for the past twenty years every time he goes out on patrol, in fact that's part of the reason why I wanted to be a hero in the first place."

"To follow your dad's footsteps." Captain America responded, and Kat nodded. "Well said but what about you Marco?"

"Well, unlike Katrina, I don't have any family history of police work, but I feel like I want to make a difference in the world and that these powers might be just what I need to do that." Marco explained before turning to Kat. "The fact that we got our powers just a few seconds apart from each other couldn't have been a coincidence especially since we've been friends since childhood."

"Just friends huh? I thought based on your banter and Katrina's dad that you were a couple." Captain America responded, and the two teens shared a nervous laugh.

"You're not the first to think that, most famous? Yes, first? Nope." Marco responded, and Katrina nodded in agreement. _"As much as I want to be Katrina's boyfriend, but if I can get her alone for a few minutes maybe we can make it official."_

"Well, now that I've confirmed that, just one last thing." Captain America said before pressing a button on his belt and causing the Avenger's Quinjet to appear above the alley. "Welcome to the Avenger's Internship."

"…...what?!" Was all Kat was able to blurt out as she processed that sentence. "We just started out and we're joining the Avengers?!"

"It's not an official membership though if you two perform well enough you will be invited to join." Captain America responded, and the two teens nodded. "It's a program that I started up to help up and coming Superheroes like yourselves, under the internship you'll receive training, equipment and in your case Superhero identities, not every young hero gets this opportunity but you two certainly proved yourselves back there, so what do you say?"

"Marco, please pinch me to confirm that I'm not dreaming." Katrina whispered to Marco who did so. "Ow, yep, definitely not dreaming." Katrina added before turning to Cap. "What about our parents?"

"I asked them before the press conference, they were more than happy for you to sign up as long as you continued with your studies though that may be difficult given the current state of your school." Captain America explained, and the two teens shared a nervous look. "Don't worry, I convinced Stark to help pay for repairs, I can explain more on the way but only if you except."

"How could we say no?" Marco asked with a massive grin on his face and Katrina nodded in agreement before they followed Captain America into the ship.

*meanwhile*

Whilst the students at Mid-Town High were recovering from their terrifying ordeal across town it was just another day in New York.

"Everyone on the ground now! This is a stick up!" The Spider-Man villain known as Blindside shouted out as he used his suit to deploy a neurotoxin that blinded most of the patrons, his partner in crime/girlfriend Commanda came up behind him whilst using her force-field to protect herself. "What did I tell you babe? This job is gonna be easy!"

"Do not get cocky Nick." The French woman responded before she started marching towards the bank teller. "We still have a job to do, which one of you fools knows the combination to the safe?"

"I do, please, don't hurt me!" The nearest bank teller said before leading Commanda down a stairwell. "Please, I have a wife and kids!"

"I don't care, but perhaps if you cooperate I won't snap your neck!" Commanda responded and the teller gulped as he started opening the vault whilst Commanda put a hand to her earpiece. "Blindside get the truck ready, we should be ready to leave in the next few minutes!"

*back with Blindside*

"Got it babe, truck should be here in five!" Blindside responded not noticing one of the bank patrons standing up behind him and heading right towards him. "Hah! Easiest payday ever! Spider'-Man's across town, the situation at that school has Captain America tied up and there isn't a hero for miles! Nothing can stop me now!"

"That's where your wrong Blindside!" The patron said causing the villain to spin around and realize that he was carrying a shotgun. "One thing will stop you today and that's death itself!"

"Oh sh…." Blindside never finished his sentence as the shotgun went off blasting him in the chest and killing him instantly.

"Justice is served, Blindside!" The patron said before fleeing the bank.

*back with Commanda*

"What the hell was that?!" Commanda demanded as she heard the gunshot and turned her attention away from the bank teller. "Blindside? Blindside, do you hear me!?"

"He can't hear you Commanda, because if my associate has done his job then Blindside is dead!" The bank teller responded as he picked up his own shotgun which he had kept hidden in his jacket. "And you'll soon join him!"

"What? NO!" Commanda yelled out but it was too late for the villain to do anything as the teller shot her in the chest causing her to go flying backwards until she hit the stairs dead.

"Justice is served, Commanda!" The bank teller added before making his escape up the steps.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on the NYPD was still recovering from the aftershock from the hostage situation at Mid-Town High

"Finally got a follow up on Eddie Jackson." Jenny said as she approached Howard and he turned to her. "According to the other janitorial staff at the school Jackson had started work just last week and mostly kept to himself," Jenny added before handing over the file. "But that's not the issue I have, have a read of his file."

"He's on the parole for the sexual assault of a high school student?!" Howard asked with a disgusted look on his face. "And he worked as a janitor for the school that student attended, makes me wish I had gone with Lin's original suggestion and had Katrina home-schooled." Howard added before shaking his head. "Even if that wasn't really Eddie Jackson, why would the school let someone like that work with kids? Hell, Katrina must've had daily contact with him in the days leading up to the hostage situation."

"I don't like it either, especially after Katrina was nearly gang raped the other day." Jenny nodded in response as Howard handed the file back to her. "So, I got in contact with his parole officer, as part of the conditions of his parole he has to wear an ankle bracelet with a monitoring device and is not allowed within fifty feet of any school, the detective in charge of the Scourge case is currently checking in on him with his parole officer."

"Good to know." Howard nodded in response before sighing. "Still, I can't help but worry about this internship Katrina and Marco have started, I'm glad that they'll no longer be trying to fight crime in their street clothes, but this is still dangerous work."

"It's like you said to Captain America. Its your job to be worried." Jenny assured him, and Howard nodded. "Besides, Katrina's a smart kid and she's always wanted to be a Superhero, I'll be surprised if she doesn't apply herself into this the sane way she did to her athletics pursuits, same goes with Marco."

"I suppose your right." Howard nodded in response before the captain came up to them. "Another Scourge hit?"

"Am I getting that predictable?" The captain asked before shaking his head. "The Supervillains Blindside and Commanda were gunned down as they tried to rob a bank, two different assailants but both murders carry the Scourge's MO." The captain added before sighing. "Look, I know what I said back there is about to make me sound like a hypocrite but if these murders make the streets safer you'll hear no objection from me."

"Except for the fact that all the murders so far have been of low level criminals, no heavy hitters like Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus." Jenny pointed out with a frown on her face. "White Rabbit, a villain so insane that no one took her seriously, Mr. Fish, a guy with a ridiculous name who was nothing more than a low-level drug dealer, Squid, dangerous powers but with an idiot at the helm." Jenny added as she listed off the villains who had been killed.

"And then there's Styx and Stone, out of the seven villains killed so far they tried the biggest scheme and it blew up on their face." Howard added before frowning. "I watched a documentary on the original killings back in the 80s and most of the villains killed then were either has-beens like Enforcer and Miracle Man or villains who appeared on a hero's radar once and then disappeared before they got killed like most of the villains killed in the Bar with No Name massacre, I can't think of any villains that match those descriptions from the recent killings."

"Maybe but we have a crime scene to get too." Jenny added, and Howard nodded before they walked off.

*an hour later*

Whilst Katrina and Marco had started their training and Howard and Jenny went off to investigate another murder a lead was being followed up on in Queens.

"Look man, I don't know what to tell you." The parole officer said as he led the officer in charge of the Scourge of the Underworld case, the same African American cop who had looked after Marco, down the hallway of the cheap apartment building. "Eddie's been on his best behavior since he got out on parole, he's got a job at his sister's restaurant and most importantly he hasn't been near any schools."

"That may be, but a Scourge of the Underworld used his old uniform to perform a hit and if he's complicit in it then he's going back to jail." The African American cop responded as they reached apartment 315. _"And hopefully for good this time."_

"Eddie, it's your parole officer, open up!" The Parole Officer called out from the other side, but they heard nothing in response, only muffled shouting. "Luckily for us I'm also the landlord for this building." The Parole Officer added before opening the door and letting the cop in, at first glance the apartment was empty, but the cop quickly noticed something.

"Blood looks like it's a couple of days old at most." The cop said before following the trail to the closet and opened it, inside he saw a man with shoulder length greying brown hair with a matching beard wearing a wife beater and shorts who had been bound and gagged, it didn't take long for the cop to notice the source of the blood as there was a large gash on his cheek. "Eddie Jackson?" The cop asked before removing the tape around Eddie's mouth.

"What's it to you?!" Eddie demanded, and the cop held up his badge. "Oh, son of a bitch! You can't harass me like this!"

"Do you want me to help you out of the closet or not?" The cop asked, and Eddie sighed before nodding and getting out of the closet. "So, want to explain how your uniform ended up being used in a murder?"

"Murder?!" Eddie asked as he sat down on the bed. "Hey, I'd never do anything like that!"

"But you will rape a teenage girl, you were damn lucky you didn't get released into general population!" The cop added, and Eddie ran a hand through his hair.

"She came onto me!" Eddie asserted, and the other two men shook their heads. "What's this about a murder anyway?"

"You heard about that hostage situation at Mid-Town High? The two Supervillains behind it were murdered by a Scourge of the Underworld using your old uniform." The cop responded, and Eddie's eyes widened. "Oh, so you do know something?"

"Damn right I do! I have a little brother, he's since changed his name to distance himself from me but he came by the other day, said he needed cash and I told him to get lost because I'm broke!" Eddie responded with a frown and the cop nodded. "Then all of a sudden, he stormed in, knocked me out and took my uniform, when I woke up I was in the same place you found me!"

"What's your brother's name Eddie? The one he currently uses." The cop asked, and Eddie sighed.

"Shaun Gibson, the little shit couldn't even stick to a name that sounded remotely like our real surname." Eddie added before running a hand down his face. "Look, I'm the victim here, I'm just trying to move on with my life but that little shit got in the way and no, I don't know his current whereabouts, if I did you'd have to worry about getting to him first!"

"Your story had better check out, otherwise I'm sure he can find something to file a parole violation on you for." The cop added as he nodded towards the parole officer who nodded back. "Now give me a description of your bother!" The cop added and once he was done the cop put a hand to his radio. "Captain put out an APB on a Mr. Shaun Gibson, thirty years old, 5ft 10, 160ibs, current lead suspect in the homicides of Styx and Stone."

"Roger that, until then your needed across town, the Scourge of the Underworld just killed Blindside and Commanda." The captain responded, and the cop nodded. "Lao and Steele are already on the scene Reynolds."

"Tell them I'll meet them there." Reynolds responded before leaving the apartment.

*later*

It was now late in the evening and Katrina and Marco were in the middle of training which had been difficult to say the least.

"Okay Kat, this is your last training of the day so make it count." Captain America instructed her as Kat got warmed up for the race across the track. "Simply race your opponent around the track three times without the use of your powers."

"Are you kidding? I was the captain of the Girl's track team at my old school! And I have the trophies back home to prove it!" Katrina responded with a cocky grin as she finished her warming up. _"Or I will as long as my old school doesn't ask for my trophies back."_ Katrina thought before turning to Captain America. "I thought this was supposed to be a challenge!"

"It is, which is why I called in some outside help." Captain America added, and Katrina's grin disappeared when she noticed a much taller and more muscular female form looming over her. "Meet your opponent." Captain America added, and Katrina turned around.

"She-Hulk?!" Katrina asked as all color drained from her face. "How am I supposed to beat someone who's basically a smarter Hulk?!"

"I'll be sure to tell Bruce you said that the next time I see him." She-Hulk responded with a grin before turning to Captain America. "Besides, this test isn't about winning, right Cap?"

"Correct, this is just a test of your overall speed and agility." Captain America responded, and Katrina gulped. "And if your as good as you say you are this shouldn't be a problem."

" _Yeah, I am that good! Against other high school students!"_ Katrina thought before getting into position alongside She-Hulk. _"Never tested my running abilities against someone with the agility of She-Hulk though!"_

"On your marks, get set, go!" Captain America called out and both women took off as fast as they could around the track.

"Come on Kat! You can beat her!" Marco shouted words of encouragement at Kat as she raced around the track.

"Kid, your girlfriend's losing to Jennifer by a significant margin." Iron Man commented as he watched the race. "Pretty sure the only way she can win is to use her powers to cut across the track."

"I know but I'm trying to stay on her good side, and for the last time, she's not my girlfriend!" Marco responded, and Iron Man shook his head.

"If you say so." Iron Man added before frowning under his helmet. "And She-Hulk's already a lap ahead of her, maybe you overdid it Cap!"

"As I said, winning isn't important in this test, if it was I would've put Kat against someone she could beat!" Captain America responded as Kat finished her lap and trailed behind She-Hulk. "Just remember Kat, no powers."

" _Right, wouldn't want me to have an unfair advantage on She-Hulk!"_ Katrina thought as she watched She-Hulk run out in front of her, this continued until the last lap where She-Hulk had already finished by the time Kat was halfway across the lap. "Can I use my powers now? She's already beaten me!"

"No powers." Captain America reminded Kat who groaned before resuming her run.

"Don't mind me, I'll just be over here making a snack!" She-Hulk called out as she watched her opponent around the corner until eventually Kat caught up with her. "Not bad, you shouldn't skip leg day though."

"Piece of advice? Don't release any self-help videos." Kat snarked in between deep breaths, once she caught her breath Kat turned to Captain America. "I know I just got wrecked in that race but how was my running speed?"

"Pretty good, easy to see how you earned those trophies." Captain America responded as he checked the stopwatch. "Don't worry, you will be able to use your powers in your sparring match against She-Hulk tomorrow."

"Ha-ha, that's hilarious!" Katrina said with a nervous grin on her face. "I thought you said that I was going to be sparring against She-Hulk!"

"I did, and I wasn't joking." Captain America added, and the grin quickly disappeared as She-Hulk nearly knocked Kat off her feet with a pat on the back.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to be a much greater challenge than a tree." She-Hulk added, and Katrina groaned.

*two days later*

Kat and Marco had been training nearly non-stop for the past two days and it was now Marco's turn to test the strength of his force-fields.

"So, let me get this straight." Marco said with a nervous grin as he stared down the three heroes standing in front of him. "Iron Man, She-Hulk and Captain America are going to be attacking me with everything they've got, and I'm only allowed to use my force-fields? Is it to late to go back to levitating stuff in Central Park?"

"Yes." Captain America responded, and Marco groaned.

"And now you know how I felt when you were taking bets on how long I'd last against She-Hulk." Katrina added with a grin on her face as she folded her arms. "Can you guys at least wait until my popcorn's ready?"

"Wasn't me losing a bunch of money enough satisfaction for you?!" Marco protested, and Katrina stuck her tongue out playfully at him. "Oh yeah, real mature!"

"For two teens who claim they aren't dating, they do argue like an old married couple." She-Hulk whispered to Captain America who nodded.

"I noticed." Captain America said before he started preparing to throw his shield. "Think fast Marco."

"What? OH SHIT!" Marco yelled out as he saw the shield coming towards him quickly and he summoned up the force-field causing it to bounce off. "That was a cheap shot!"

"Maybe you shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent then!" Iron Man responded as he fired his repulsar beams at Marco who kept his shield up whilst Katrina received her popcorn from a SHIELD agent, this continued for a few minutes until Marco noticed some energy gathering in his hands.

" _Huh, I wonder."_ Marco thought as She-Hulk charged towards him, he held his hands out and the field disappeared as Marco fired a beam of light at She-Hulk sending her flying back. "Holy shit! I didn't think that was going to be that strong!"

"Your girlfriend agrees." Iron Man responded as he motioned to Kat who nearly choked on her popcorn when she saw that. "I think that's a good point to leave off, I don't know about you Cap but any blast that's strong enough to knock She-Hulk off her feet isn't going to be good for my health."

"Agreed." She-Hulk responded as she got back to her feet. "You kids need some work but the potential's there, all you need now is your costumes and identities."

"And if that's not my cue, I don't know what is." Another SHIELD agent said as he handed the costumes over to Kat and Marco who took them. "Identities are up to you, but it shouldn't be that hard."

" _Here's hoping."_ Katrina thought as she stood up and followed Marco to their rooms so that they could get changed.


	6. What's my Superhero Name again?

A couple of hours had passed since Kat and Marco had received their costumes and they were now out on patrol in their new guises ready for their first outing as a Superhero duo, however it didn't take long for them to find trouble.

"Everyone get down! This is a stick-up!" The leader of five masked men demanded as he fired his gun into the air to get everyone's attention, the patrons quickly hit the ground and they marched over to the counters and held out a bag each. "Fill these bags with money and no one gets hurt!"

"Okay, okay, don't do anything hasty." The female bank teller responded, and the others did likewise as they started complying with the robbers demands.

"Fear not citizens, for these vile villains won't terrorize you any longer!" A new voice with a clearly exaggerated Italian accent and the five masked men span around seeing Marco and Kat in their costumes, Marco's costume was light blue in color and had a large helmet. "For you now face the new faces of Superheroes! Mental Boy!"

"And Dragon Girl!" Katrina said proudly as she folded her arms, her costume was dark red in color with various drawings of a dragon on it and left her midriff exposed and had a matching mask with her braided hair hanging out the back, the two teens posed proudly once they announced their new Superhero identities.

…and that pride was quickly shattered when the robbers nearly fell over laughing. "Oh man! Mental Boy and Dragon Girl!? What is this, a Saturday Morning Cartoon?!"

"Marco, as soon as we're done here we're changing our Superhero names." Kat whispered to Marco who quickly nodded in agreement.

"Agreed." Marco nodded in agreement as he watched the robbers laugh at them. "At least our costumes look cool!"

"If only that wasn't the only thing going right." Kat muttered under her breath as the robbers regained their composure.

"Okay, seriously kids, why don't you just run along to your super early Halloween Party and let the adults handle things." The lead thug said as Kat got ready to move. "That way, no one gets…." The thug never finished his sentence as Kat flew across the bank and decked him in the jaw sending the thug flying and knocking him out, the other thugs stood around in shock but the one closest to Kat pointed his gun at her.

"You may be fast and strong, but you can't outrun a bullet!" The thug said as he went to fire his gun only for Katrina to spin around and breathe fire on the gun melting the muzzle and rendering it useless. "Err…"

"To quote one of my favorite movies, this is the part where you run away!" Kat interrupted him as the thug dropped his gun, however Kat uppercutted him knocking him out. "Not that you're getting the chance off course."

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Marco called out to two of the thugs who opened fire on him, Marco quickly got his shields up deflecting the bullets and causing them to bounce harmlessly on the floor, that is until Marco noticed energy gathered in both hands at which point he dispersed the shield and fired two beams of light at the thugs knocking them out. "Anyone we're forgetting?"

"Yeah, me." The last thug said as he grabbed a female patron and kept a gun trained to her head. "And if you don't want to see her brains splattered across the walls, you'll not move an inch towards me and let me go." He added, and Kat nodded to Marco giving him the signal to use his telepathy on a chair directly behind him. "That's it, don't be an idiot."

"Pity that you've already filled the idiot quota." Marco responded as he drew the chair towards him causing it to collide with the thug's head knocking him out. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"Aside from those thugs, no." The hostage responded as Kat helped her to her feet. "Thanks, Mental Boy and Dragon Girl."

"Err, yeah, can you pretend that you never heard those names, we're scrapping them almost immediately." Kat responded sheepishly before turning to Marco. "We'd better get out of here."

"Yeah, definitely." Marco responded before the two teens left.

*an hour later*

"Okay, so Mental Boy and Dragon Girl need to go." Marco said to Katrina once they had landed on a rooftop across town from the bank where they had made their Superhero debuts at. "I told you that we should've run those names by someone!"

"Captain America and Iron Man were out on Avengers business, She-Hulk went home after your training session and the SHIELD agents were busy." Kat responded with a frown as she ran a hand through her braided hair. "Who were we supposed to ask?"

"I don't know, how about anyone other than the first crooks we busted as heroes?" Marco suggested as the two teens didn't notice a figure landing behind them. "Luckily, we didn't run into any press on the way out because when we get our first interview we can play it off as our names were misheard."

"Ah so you're the new heroes I've heard so much about." Spider-Man's voice rang out from behind the two teens and Kat was just about ready to go bash her head against a wall as they turned around seeing the famous hero behind them. "Mental Boy and Dragon Girl?"

"Do us a favor and don't spread the word around that we're going by those names." Marco groaned as he turned to the hero. "We're going back to the drawing board on those names."

"Might be a little too late for that, or haven't you checked Social Media?" Spider-Man asked, and Kat blinked before getting her phone out and accessing Facebook.

"Oh shit." Kat grumbled under her breath as she saw her timeline. "In our hurry to get out before the press arrived we completely forgot about people taking videos on their cell-phones!"

"Yeah and you'd think I'd remember that given all the metal shows I've livestreamed!" Marco responded with an annoyed sigh. "And why is everyone saying that you clearly wear the pants in the relationship?!"

"Probably has something to do with me having to carry you as I flew away because you didn't get that as part of your powers." Kat responded with a grin under her mask.

"And that was only because my hoverboard is still in development." Marco responded with a sigh and Katrina's grin widened.

"I don't know, I enjoyed carrying a guy around for a change." Kat responded, and Marco groaned. "Anyway, luckily my parents don't use Social Media much so my embarrassment when I get home will be kept to a minimum."

"If only the same could be said for my sister." Marco responded with a groan. "At least you got off easy there, what with you being an only child and all."

"Which you can thank China's One-Child laws for." Kat responded as Spider-Man walked up to them. "Not that my parents didn't try again once they came over but still."

"So, what's your stories exactly?" Spider-Man asked as he walked up to them and the two teens turned to him. "Freak nuclear accident, chemical spillage, some weird love children of Fing Fang Foom and Professor X?"

"Well, I know what mental image is going to be keeping me up for the next two years." Marco responded with a shudder. "Nothing that crazy, we're mutants."

"Wait, are you the same mutants who helped me out with Shocker, Rhino and Jack O'Lantern the other day?" Spider-Man asked, and the two teens shared a look. "I mean, no offense but maybe using the same powers you used against those three villains to beat up those bank robbers would've gone a long way to hiding your identities from me?"

"Well, it's not like our families don't already know." Katrina sighed before removing her mask and Marco did likewise. "Yeah, we're the same mutants, we just ended up being in the right place at the right time."

"What we didn't anticipate was her dad, who's a cop, getting to the scene." Marco admitted as he turned to Spider-Man. "And it's a long story but he had already figured it out by then anyway."

"I'll take your word for it." Spider-Man responded before he went to swing off. "Well it was nice meeting you, but I have places to go and people to see, see you around."

"See you around." Kat responded as Spider-Man swung away and she started to put on her mask and Marco did likewise. "Hopefully with better Superhero identities."

"Hey, at least our parents don't know yet…." Marco response was interrupted when their ringtones went off simultaneously and they checked the caller ID. "And it's dad."

"What a coincidence? Same here." Kat responded before she took off her mask and flew up a few feet until she was a few inches off the ground whilst Marco went to a different part of the roof to answer his call. "Hello?"

"So, Kat, Dragon Girl huh?" Howard's voice rang out and Kat paled.

"I have no idea what your talking about.," Kat responded as she started playing with her braided hair. "Clearly it was another Chinese-American hero with dragon like abilities because I wouldn't call myself Dragon Girl…..."

"Kat, there was video taken off the bank robbery you and Marco busted up, you really think I wouldn't recognize my own daughter's voice?" Howard's clearly amused voice responded, and Kat went to respond but couldn't find the words. "Just as I thought and tell Marco that if he's going to put on a fake accent for his Superhero identity he shouldn't make it that obvious, or at least tell him to not use the same voice he used when he went as Italian James Bond to a Halloween Party last year."

" _I knew I should've told him that!"_ Kat thought with a sigh as she glanced towards Marco. "Don't think I'll need to, his dad happened to call him at the same time you did."

"And knowing your mother, she'll be saying that it was fated." Howard chuckled in response which made Kat ease up a bit. "Where are you now?"

"Err, we're on top a building on the corner of 38th and Broadway." Kat responded as she looked around for a minute before spotting the sign across the street from the building. "I know it's a bit of a trek from the bank, but I just wanted to get us as far away from the press as possible."

"Okay so you're not that far from the precinct." Howard responded and once Kat thought about it for a second she nodded. "How about we meet up for something to eat once you're not on patrol? My treat."

"That really depends on when me and Marco get off patrol, besides, why don't we meet up at mom's restaurant? I don't think she'd object to us eating there for free." Kat responded as she glanced towards Marco, she could hear him exchanging some words in Italian with his father but as she didn't speak that language she didn't know what was being said, though based on Marco's tone it seemed like he was talking about the same thing with his dad.

"Because the restaurant got a rave review whilst you were training and she's expecting a packed restaurant tonight, in fact she's already looking into hiring some line cooks so that she doesn't have to keep relying on you." Howard responded, and Kat nodded.

" _And after that incident the other day, I can't blame her."_ Katrina thought before getting back on the rooftop and grabbing her mask. "Okay, I'll send you a text once we're off patrol and you send me a text with the name of the restaurant and where to find it?"

"Sounds like a plan, and don't show up in that outfit." Howard responded, and Kat grinned sheepishly. "For a Superhero its fine, for day to day life, not so much, though your hair does look good braided."

"Good thing I'm carrying a backpack with an outfit I can easily wear over my Superhero outfit." Kat responded as she glanced over at the backpack. "As for the braids, Marco's idea, he thought it would make me harder to identify."

"Should've put more thought into your disguise." Howard responded, and Kat couldn't help but agree. "See you then."

"Bye dad." Kat responded before Howard hung up and Kat did likewise, as Kat put her mask back on she saw Marco make his way over. "So, your dad saw right through the disguise as well?"

"Yep, just my luck that the one time he uses Social Media is the time he sees our Superhero identities trending." Marco responded with a sigh as he pocketed the phone. "And Sophia protested that she would've done a better job on your costume."

"Because off course she did." Kat sighed in annoyance. "Makes me glad that I'm an only child."

"Yeah, you mentioned that to Spider-Man, doesn't China have some kind of law against having more than one child?" Marco asked, and Katrina nodded. "Because of its massive population?"

"Basically yeah, though in my parents' case it was more to do with the fact that they kept having bad luck when it came to making babies, by the time my mom gave birth to me she had just turned thirty-two." Katrina added with a shrug before grinning. "There was one piece of good news, dad wants to meet with us once we're done with our patrol and he's treating us to a meal out."

"Why not just use your mom's restaurant?" Marco asked, and Katrina shook her head.

"Asked that, apparently the restaurant's been getting rave reviews and she's expecting a full house tonight." Kat responded before sitting on the edge of the building. "She's also looking into more full-time staff so that she doesn't have to keep relying on me."

"After those protestors showed up? I don't blame her." Marco nodded in agreement before frowning. "So, what's she doing for tonight's service? My dad's a human resources manager and he'll be the first to tell you that hiring new staff takes time."

"He didn't say, though I am expecting to be asked to jump on the line the moment I get home from patrol." Kat responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "Not that I mind since I do enjoy cooking on the line but I'm no trained chef but sooner or later she'll have to hire someone who knows what they're doing."

"You ever think she's been asking you to join her on the line to prepare you to take over?" Marco asked, and Katrina paused for a moment. "You know, in case your athletics career fizzles out for whatever reason?"

"Oh, trust me, I know all to well that one freak injury could end my athletics aspirations just like that." Katrina responded with a snap of her fingers to illustrate the point. "Or in my case, because the school board let their fear of mutants override their common sense but still, ever since he heard about from me my dad's been investigating to see if it's really the cause or if the coach was saying one thing and the school board was saying another."

"You really think he'd lie about that? I mean, never mind the fact that he was killed during the hostage situation, but the coach was just doing his job." Marco responded with a shrug earning an annoyed glare from Kat. "Hey, you might not want to hear it but maybe the school board is full of anti-mutant bullshit."

"All I'm saying to that is if we were dating then you'd be sleeping on the coach for a month." Katrina responded and before Marco could rebuff her comments the duo saw police cars driving off with their sirens blaring. "Looks like we might be needed elsewhere."

"Let's have a look…" Marco said as he looked it up on the Facebook app. "Ah, here we go, Supervillain causing mayhem in Manhattan, doesn't say who but I guess I can look it up on the way over."

"Yeah, let's try to think up better Superhero names on the way over." Kat responded before picking up Marco. "Hold on tight!"

"Your acting like I have a choice." Marco responded before the two teens flew off.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on the NYPD were busy escorting the would-be bank robbers off to the precinct to await trial.

"Well, at least Kat and Marco aren't trying to fight crime in their civilian clothes." Jenny commented as she watched the five bank robbers get taken away in a police van. "That said, Mental Boy and Dragon Girl? Really? My sister can come up with better names than that and she's twelve!"

"Based on what I heard from Katrina, they didn't run it by anyone before they went out on patrol." Howard responded with a shrug as they got ready to get in the car. "That said, might be too late for them to change as they've already gone viral."

"Let's be honest, we'd rather have those kids be alive, albeit trending because of their poor choices of Superhero names, than dead because they charged head long into a Supervillain battle." Jenny responded before the captain walked up to them.

"Funny you should say that, the Supervillain known as Chemistro is holding up a jewelry store." The captain told them before folding his arms. "And guess which pair of Superheroes were spotted along the way?"

"Mental Boy and Dragon Girl?" Howard asked, and the captain nodded. "Chemistro is hardly a major threat but we'd better get down there, they could use the support if he takes hostages."

"And I'll try not to make fun of their Superhero names too much if we do run into them." Jenny added before the two cops got in the police car and drove off.

*a bit later*

By now Kat and Marco had landed on a rooftop down the street from where the jewelry store was being robbed by Chemistro and the two teens watched the scene intently, however once she saw Chemistro Kat face-palmed.

"Chemistro? Seriously?" Kat commented as she shook her head in disappointment before turning to Marco. "If I had known that our first Supervillain battle in costume was going to be against a D-Lister like him I would've let another hero handle it."

"You ever tried connecting to the internet whilst flying around New York? Because let me tell ya, it was extremely hard whilst you were holding onto me that tightly!" Marco responded, and Kat blinked a couple of times before barely containing her laughter. "And now I'm glad that I said that away from any cameras."

"Hey, you said it, not me!" Kat responded as she watched the villain run down the street. "If only we had that much foresight before we busted that bank robbery, anyway, you want me to carry you down?"

"Nah, I can see a fire escape that I can use to get down to ground level, that said I'm definitely talking to Cap about some way for me to get around without you carrying me." Marco responded before running over to the fire escape. "See you on the other side!"

"That's my line!" Kat protested before shaking her head and flying down to ground level just behind Chemistro. "So, what am I supposed to call you? Circle Man?" Kat asked mockingly and Chemistro span around.

"Ah great, a Superhero." Chemistro groaned before pointing his wrist blasters at Kat. "Look Dragon Girl or whatever your name is, I'm just trying to get enough money together, so I can skip town before the Scourge of the Underworld comes after me! I don't know if you've noticed but a lot of Supervillains on my level have been getting capped recently."

"Oh, I noticed, and there are easier ways to get money." Kat responded before getting into a fighting stance. "Less painful ways too."

"I'll show you!" Chemistro responded before firing his weapons at Kat who easily dodged them by rolling to the side, before Kat could make another move however a trash can lid connected with Chemistro's head knocking him off balance before the villain span around and saw Marco levitating several trash can lids.

"If I were you I'd listen to Dragon Girl, because I could do this all day!" Marco added in his exaggerated accent before telepathically throwing another lid but this time Chemistro fired his weapons at it causing it to turn into water.

"What a coincidence, I can do this all day as well." Chemistro responded with a smirk. "Why don't you kids just let me go? Its not like that jewelry store's going to miss these diamonds…..." Chemistro never finished his sentence as Kat span him around and decked him, it wasn't enough to knock him out but it was clear Chemistro had had enough. "Okay, okay, you win!"

"Good to know that you're not as dumb as your costume looks." Marco responded as the two teens didn't notice a woman emerging from a nearby alley, mostly because the cop car that Howard and jenny were using had pulled up. "Excellent timing officers, he surrendered with minimal resistance."

"Good job you two, we'll take it from here." Howard nodded before getting his notebook out. "Just need your statements and try being truthful this time."

" _We're never living that down, are we?"_ Kat thought before they gave their statement, once Kat had finished her statement she looked around before noticing the woman approaching Chemistro. _"What's going on over there?"_

"Your crimes have gone unanswered for too long Chemistro!" The woman told the dazed villain before she pulled a shotgun from her jacket. "But that ends today!"

"Marco, behind you!" Kat whispered to Marco who turned around and saw the situation behind him, he quickly levitated one of the trash can lids and threw it at the Scourge of the Underworld who saw it just in time before Kat flew directly in front of Chemistro. "Don't you know it's rude to shoot a man whilst he's down?"

"You would save a villain like him?" The woman scoffed before pointing her gun at Kat. "Some hero you are, if anything your just as bad as him and I'm not going to let you stop me from finishing my…." The woman never finished her sentence as Kat breathed fire on the shotgun melting it, the woman quickly dropped it and growled. "You've made an enemy of the Scourge of the Underworld organization Dragon Girl!"

"Fine, I'd rather be the enemy of a vigilante organization that kills people in cold blood anyway!" Kat responded before the woman took off towards the alleyway. "Marco!"

"I've got it, I'll cover that entrance, you cover the other." Marco responded before the two teens left the cops to arrest Chemistro, Kat took off down the alleyway and at first didn't see any sign of the woman.

" _Where did she go?"_ Kat thought as she flew down the alley, as she reached one of the side streets however she saw a truck speeding off but by the time she reached the end it was long gone. _"I'd bet my athletic career that that was her getaway vehicle."_ Kat thought before noticing something hanging out of a trash can and she went over to it, she held her nose as she opened it which confirmed her suspicions. _"Mask designed to look like a woman's head, dark brown wig, if it weren't for the fact that that was definitely a female figure I'd wonder if that was even a woman."_

"Kat." Marco called out to her and Kat looked up seeing Marco, Jenny and Howard running up. "Did you find her?"

"No, she got away in a van, fortunately I took a picture of the license plate." Kat responded before holding up her phone and showing the picture to the cops who wrote it down. "That's not all I found." Kat added before pointing to the trash can.

"A mask and a wig, the original Scourge of the Underworld used disguises, so this doesn't surprise me." Howard nodded once he saw what his daughter was pointing out. "We'll get CSU down here ASAP, pity the gun is useless since you melted it."

"Yeah, sorry, I had to think fast otherwise she would've shot me." Kat apologized before glancing towards the direction the van took off in. "Still, that was the first Scourge hit we were able to prevent, where's Chemistro now?"

"On his way to the station, based on your statements I'll recommend that he be put in protective custody to the chief." Jenny responded, and Kat nodded in response. "That said, I doubt the Scourge's will be happy."

"If anything, that Scourge has more to worry about from them than we do." Marco responded with a shrug as he folded his arms. "Think about it, they've been killing criminals left and right since they came back and that woman was the first botched hit, she's probably on thin ice with them right now!"

"True enough and if a body does wash up and her prints match any we get off the mask and wig, we'll let you know." Howard responded before the two teens' stomachs rumbled and he grinned. "I think you've had enough excitement for one day and I did promise a meal out, didn't I?"

"Yeah, just got to get home and get changed." Kat responded with a nod before motioning to Marco. "He'll probably need a lift home though and my arms are tired from carrying him all day."

"I'll wave down a cab for you, probably tell him that you're a Mental Boy cosplayer." Jenny responded before they left the alley.

*later that night*

It was now dark out and Katrina and Marco were back home, however in another area of New York things weren't quite as friendly as the meal out was.

"Ah, Kara, you've returned." Target said as he stood up and watched as the female Scourge agent was dragged before him. "You know the price of failure."

"I didn't anticipate those heroes being so perceptive!" Kara responded as she spat to the side. "Besides, you let Gibson get away with letting Styx and Stone take that school hostage!"

"Only because I caught them as they were escaping and killed them!" Shaun responded as he stepped forward, he was a good-looking man with short dark brown hair and blue eyes who had a bandage around his hand from where Target had shot him. "And I'm on thin ice as it is! What makes you think Target's going to spare you for failing to kill a joke like Chemistro?"

"Because I know I'll make up for it!" Kara responded before Target pointed his gun at her head. "I won't make the same mistake again! The only reason I tried to execute Chemistro in the street like that is because he got to the jewelry store before I could get into position otherwise? We wouldn't be having this conversation!" Kara added, and Target paused for a moment before holstering his gun.

"As I said, you know the price of failure." Target responded as he sat back down. "When you go out for your next hit I will accompany you, the moment you fail the hit, the moment you learn why I earned my nickname."

"Because you never miss?" Kara asked nervously, and Target nodded.

"Good girl." Target said before dismissing her. "What of these new heroes? Dragon Girl and Mental Boy?"

"Well, aside from having two of the most ridiculous names I've ever heard." Shaun responded as he folded his arms. "If they are willing to save scumbags like Chemistro then they are no better than the villains, I say we take them out."

"No, their actions are questionable but what isn't questionable is the fact that they are viewed as heroes, if we kill them like we do any criminal then this organization has lost all meaning." Target responded before leaning forward. "But if those foolish children get in between your gun and a criminal, don't hesitate to pull the trigger." Target added, and Shaun nodded before walking off. _"Two new players on the board and they seek to undermine our efforts."_ Target thought before glancing at a chessboard next to his chair. _"It won't matter in the long run, they are merely pawns whilst I am the king!"_


	7. Line of Sight

It had now been a week since Kat and Marco got their powers and since the failed hit on Chemistro by the Scourge of the Underworld things had been quiet on both sides leaving the two young heroes with no one to bust aside from the common criminals such aa the bank robbers they had beaten up on their first outing as heroes.

" _Man, what's with my upper back recently?"_ Kat groaned as she looked at her upper back in the mirror in front of her bed which was also attached to her wardrobe. _"It's been hurting like hell ever since me and Marco busted that jewelry store robbery on Saturday and I'm pretty sure that none of the robbers were strong enough to do any permanent damage to my spine, in fact the only guy I've fought recently with that kind of strength was Rhino and all the damage he did was to my ribs"_ Kat thought before sighing and grabbing a hairbrush. _"I'll give it until tomorrow, if my back is still hurting then I'll ask my parents if they can take me to the hospital."_

"Getting ready to go out for some Superheroics?" Kat looked up and saw her mother standing by the door to her room with her arms crossed. "Seems that's the only thing you have time for these days."

"Sorry mom, me and Marco have to work extra hard to improve our reputations due to our poor choices of hero names." Kat responded sheepishly before she finished brushing her hair and flipped it so that it was behind her shoulders. "Besides, I'm not going out on patrol just yet, Marco's finally getting a mode of transportation for himself and whilst I'm glad that I don't have to keep carrying him around that means we won't be going out on patrol until the early afternoon at least."

"I understand, I just wanted a chance to talk to you before you went out." Lin responded before she stepped into the room and Kat turned to her. "Look at you, you've grown up so fast and into a beautiful young woman at that, Marco's a lucky man."

" _Or he will be as soon as I get around to telling him how I feel."_ Kat thought before swinging her legs over so that she was looking directly at her mom. "I know mom, it's not like you haven't been reminding me of that at every opportunity."

"Doesn't make it any less true." Lin responded before frowning. "Though you would look better in make-up."

"Yeah I tried using make-up on my first day out as Dragon Girl." Katrina responded as she motioned over to her make-up kit. "I don't know if it's the stuff I've been using or whatever but when I got home from patrol to get changed for the meal out my mask had smudged up my make-up to hell and back, ended up being late because I had to reapply it but since then I've decided to not bother with make-up when I go out on patrol."

"I suppose that makes sense." Lin nodded in understanding before sighing. "Look Kat, I've always called you my Xiao tianshi for good reason, because I knew you'd be a force for good in the world, it was fated."

"Right, I've always been your little angel." Kat responded with a small laugh. "Man, I used to hate that nickname as a little girl but now that I'm a Superhero it makes a lot more sense, pity the Angel name is already taken and Dragon Angel just doesn't sound right."

"Your still an angel, just in another way." Lin responded, and Kat grinned in response. "That said, I had hoped that you would never resort to violence, that's why I suggested you take up a nonviolent sport after you developed an interest in athletics, but I now know that you share the same passion for justice as your father, just in a different way." Lin added before pulling her daughter in for a hug and Kat reciprocated it. "I only ask that you be careful Kat, you are strong but there are stronger beings out there and as you are my only child I don't want your flame to be snuffed out early."

"Don't worry mom, I'll be careful." Kat responded with a reassuring grin as she pulled away from the hug. "So, how goes the hunt for line cooks?"

"Pretty good, I've been able to recruit some boys from other Asian American families and I've started teaching them how to cook my dishes, most of them are around your age." Lin added, and Kat blushed a little bit knowing where this was going. "If you weren't already in a relationship with Marco I would probably introduce you to them."

" _Well, maybe if things don't work out with Marco."_ Kat thought before getting a text and getting her phone out. "Marco's waiting outside, something about having a new hot ride."

"I hope he isn't talking about cheating on you." Lin responded with a frown, but Kat ignored her as she stood up with a groan as she felt her upper back ache. "Something wrong Kat?"

"Huh? Oh that, I'm not sure really." Kat responded with a shrug as she turned to her mother. "Recently I've been getting upper back pains, at first I thought it was nagging injuries from my fight against Rhino but my injuries from that fight where to my ribs." Kat added with a frown. "I don't think its related to my boobs either, even if my boobs were bigger than a C-Cup that kind of back pain only affects the lower back."

"Has it been irritating you?" Lin asked with a concerned look on her face and Kat shrugged.

"Only mildly but it seems to get worse as the days go on, barely even noticed it when it first started happening." Kat explained with a shrug and Lin nodded.

"Okay, we'll keep an eye on it, if the pain becomes to great we'll go straight to the hospital to have your back checked." Lin responded, and Kat grinned in response.

"Thanks mom." Kat responded before getting another text. "I'd better get going."

"Be safe Katrina." Lin called out to her daughter who nodded before leaving her bedroom. _"Between Howard's work for the NYPD and Kat's Superhero antics I fear that I may end up burying one of them, hopefully my fears don't come to pass."_ Lin thought before standing up and leaving the room.

*outside*

" _Why do I get the feeling that this isn't what Kat thought I meant when I texted her about my hot new ride?"_ Marco thought as he sat inside his new car which had been a present to him from his dad, it wasn't an expensive model, but it was a nice enough car which Marco had wasted no time in loading up with his CDs. _"Now what should I play first? Lamb of God? Testament? Exodus? Dragonforce?"_ Marco thought before shaking his head. _"Considering her powers, Kat might find Dragonforce a little too on the nose."_ Marco's train of thought was interrupted when the car door opened, and he looked up. "Morning Kat."

"Morning." Kat responded before hopping in the passenger side. "When you said, "hot new ride" I thought they had finished your hoverboard already." Kat said before putting the seatbelt on. "My mom thought that you were being refreshingly honest about cheating on me but then again, she still thinks we're a couple."

"Nah, the hoverboard's still being tested as of my last conversation with Cap which was last night." Marco responded as he started the car. "And if we were dating, I wouldn't cheat on you! For one thing, you can easily kick my ass all over New York!"

"At least you admit that." Kat responded with a grin as she started fidgeting with her hair. "So, what's the plan? Drive around New York for a while?"

"Well, its not like we have anywhere to be, Cap's given us the day off from training due to Avenger business and, well, we both know what happened to the school." Marco added before grinning. "And yeah, I know you can fly around New York pretty easily but in here we'll have some privacy." Marco added, and Kat grinned as she got the idea. "And yes, I did bring them." Marco added before motioning to the bags in the backseat. "And by them, I mean our Superhero costumes, you never know what might happen."

"Just try to avoid the area where we almost got carjacked and killed again." Kat requested as Marco started driving off. "Never mind the fact that I nearly got gang raped, if you got carjacked twice in a row I don't think your dad would ever let you live it down."

"Sophia definitely wouldn't but dad? After how much money he spent on this thing he'd have a mental breakdown if I got carjacked again." Marco responded getting a laugh out of Kat. "Can we just talk about how crazy this past week has been? At the beginning of the week, we were just two new students at Mid-Town High and one week later we have mutant powers, are on good terms with most Superheroes and are Superheroes ourselves."

"Yeah, tell me about it, when I moved to New York I thought the craziest thing that was going to happen in my life was learning of some big bust my dad was apart off." Kat responded with a grin on her face as the two teens drove around. "And now we're getting training for our Superpowers from Captain America, a guy I've had so many dreams about…..."

"I'm going to stop you there Kat, because your making it sound like you had wet dreams involving you and a guy who's technically old enough to be your great grandfather." Marco responded, and Kat blushed like a madwoman once she realized that Marco was right. "And that is wrong on so many levels!"

"I meant fighting side by side as Superheroes!" Kat asserted, and Marco laughed. "I'm serious! I only had that kind of dream once anyway, not counting the gang rape nightmares, that involved me in a threesome with two guys dressed as Iron Man and Captain America and I swear to god, if you tell them that I said that then I'm taking this car straight to the nearest junkyard and scrapping it! And no, I don't mean by driving it." Kat added, and Marco nearly doubled over in laughter.

"I know your strong, but can you even lift a car?" Marco asked before face-palming. "I just asked a girl with Super Strength "can you even lift", good god, what has my life come too?!"

"Still not as bad as the entire reason we nearly got carjacked last week." Kat responded with a grin and Marco groaned. "And as for that dream I mentioned, what can I say? My first time trying alcohol was rough!"

"Not sure if your talking about the dream sex or the hangover." Marco responded, and Kat death-glared at him. "Changing subject! Look as long as we don't meet someone like Professor X or someone with similar abilities we should be okay."

"I hope so! God, having those kinds of dreams was so much easier before I met them in real life." Kat responded as she shook her head. "Let's just focus on driving around New York before I get tempted to go through with my threat!"

"Sounds good to me!" Marco responded with a nervous laugh as the two teens drove off.

*meanwhile*

Back at Scourge Headquarters Target had a very important decision to make regarding Kara as he looked over her file.

"One of the earliest recruits, Chemistro was her first hit, no family in New York or the surrounding area." Target muttered to himself as he read her file. "And the first Scourge to fail to kill her target, yet I am giving her another chance, why?"

"I don't know, because she has a great set of tits?" Shaun asked as he walked up behind Target and the Englishmen turned around. "You should've cut her lose, she didn't even have any firearms training when she joined."

"Neither did you and no, I don't count going to the shooting range every Saturday as firearms training." Target responded before turning his back on Shaun. "Besides, I asked you for the current location of our targets."

"Right." Shaun responded before picking up the list. "Termite's still in jail, no one's bothered to try to kill him since The Enforcer was killed by the original Scourge of the Underworld organization whilst on a mission to kill him, no one's seen or heard from Green Goblin in months and a villain that dangerous won't be easy to get close too anyway, Blowtorch just got out of Rykers and from all reports he's back to his old tricks and Lady Stiltman…" Shaun commented before shaking his head. "Lady Stiltman? Seriously? Was Stiltwoman too simple for that idiot?!"

"I asked for her current location, not your opinion on her name." Target responded, and Shaun nodded.

"She's been in hiding ever since she fell down a manhole whilst fighting Spider-Man, and that's not counting the hits that are being carried out." Shaun responded before pocketing the list. "Speaking of hits, what are we going to do about Chemistro?"

"He's in protective custody courtesy of the NYPD." Target responded with a frown under his mask. "The last time a Scourge operative tried to kill a villain whilst in custody Spider-Man got involved and besides that, escape will be a lot harder."

"So, forget about him?" Shaun asked, and Target nodded. "I'll keep you posted on any targets becoming available for killing." Shaun added before walking off whilst Target stared intently at pictures of Marco and Kat that were now on the wall in front of him.

*later*

It was still early at the restaurant, but Lin was as busy as ever preparing everything that needed to be ready in advance for that night's service and with the help of the new line-cooks that was easier than ever, still that didn't stop some famous customers from coming over.

"I don't usually open the restaurant this early." Lin admitted as she brought Captain America some tea which he was happy to take. "But for the man who's helping my daughter live her dreams? I'm willing to make an exception."

"The pleasures all mine Mrs. Lao." Captain America responded with a nod of gratitude, Steve was in his civilian clothes, but it was easy to tell who it was once you knew what to look for. "Your daughter's taken to her new role rather quickly, questionable name choice aside off course."

"I remember telling her over the weekend "if you wanted to run your Superhero name by anyone, you should've asked me"." Lin chuckled as she sat down opposite the hero. "But she's always been a stubborn one, I guess she got it from me."

"My, my, what a charming little restaurant." Lin looked up and saw several finely dressed yet intimidating men walking into the restaurant with the source of the voice, a man in his early fifties with short grey hair who was also wearing a suit, being in the middle of the crowd. "I tire of all these fine dining places, for me nothing beats a good mom and pop restaurant."

"Unfortunately, this mom and pop restaurant is closed until dinner service." Lin said as she walked up to the man with her arms crossed. "So, if you want to taste my food, you'll have to come back later."

"Oh, I understand." The man responded before holding out his hand for a handshake. "My name is Julius Drexo, I am an investor of sorts."

"We already have enough investors, now leave and come back later." Lin said as she went to escort Julius out of the restaurant but two of his thugs got in her path.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand me." Julius chuckled as he looked around the restaurant. "I am what I like to call a protection investor, lots of nasty sorts all around this city, in fact I understand that your daughter was nearly sexually assaulted by such a gang."

"That is none of your business." Lin responded as her eyes narrowed. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll leave my daughter out of this!"

"You see, I find that impossible to do, the fact that she's a mutant is the worst kept secret in the city and you already had one protest group attempt to ruin your dinner service simply because she was working on the line." Julius responded as the thugs started cracking their knuckles. "It would be a shame if something happened to this establishment, wouldn't it? How much of your own money do you have invested in it hmm? Two thousand? Three? Four?"

"That is none of your business and I believe she asked you to leave." Steve said as he marched up to the thugs and they scoffed. "This is her restaurant and she has the right to refuse service to anyone so even if this was dinner service I'd still strongly suggest that you leave."

"What do we have here? A good Samaritan?" Julius scoffed as he looked over Steve. "Boys make an example out of this punk to anyone else who might try something like this." Julius said as he adjusted his tie. "After all, her mutiie daughter isn't here to save her."

"Stand back Mrs. Lao." Steve whispered to her and she nodded without hesitation. "This is your last warning, leave now and no one gets hurt."

"Poor deluded fool, you're the only one who needs to worry about getting hurt." Julius scoffed before motioning to the guards to attack, the thug nearest Steve swung with his fist but Steve dodged under it effortlessly before using the thug's momentum to judo throw him to the ground, the one behind Steve tried a sneak attack only for Steve to spin around and punch him in the gut knocking the wind right out of him.

"Julius, if I where you I'd be more concerned with investing in medical insurance for your thugs." Steve said as he glanced towards the two thugs he had just beat up. "I won't say this again, leave or you'll get worse."

"Come on boys, it's clear that our business isn't needed here." Julius responded as the two thugs were helped up before they all left.

"Thank you, Captain America." Lin said once she was sure that Julius and his thugs were out of earshot and Steve grinned in response. "I knew opening a restaurant here was a risky move but as long as you're here and my daughter's around I shouldn't have to worry."

"Not a problem." Steve responded before glancing up at the newly installed CCTV cameras. "Don't suppose you have video of that incident, do you?"

"Off course, I'll go get the tapes now." Lin responded before heading into the house, once she was gone Steve put a hand to an earpiece.

"It's Steve, I need you to run a name through a few databases for me." Steve said into the earpiece and listened to the response. "Julius Drexo, mob boss of some kind, just tried to extort Katrina's mother for protection money."

*later*

It had taken them an hour, but Marco and Kat had driven out to a spot on the outskirts of the city that overlooked the large area, the two teens were sat down on the grass next to each other and Kat had a big grin on her face.

"Feels like an eternity since we've been this far away from the big city." Kat commented as she leaned back with her legs crossed and her hands on the ground. "And yeah, I know we only moved to New York two weeks ago Marco."

"Yeah and things were so normal back then, no superpowers, no run ins with Supervillains." Marco responded before sighing and laying back on the grass. "Look, that cloud looks like Stone after you sent him flying."

"I don't think a cloud can be that ugly!" Kat responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Marco. "Unless it's a storm cloud off course!"

"Yeah, might not be a good idea to go out flying in a storm, just my two cents." Marco responded before Kat groaned and rubbed her back in pain. "Still experiencing that back pain?"

"Yep, and I'm still clueless as to it's origin." Kat responded with a sigh as she glanced up at the clouds. "Remember when we last came here and I went on a bit of a ramble about how I dreamt of flying with the birds?"

"And I pointed out the high risk of you getting sucked into a plane engine if you went to high?" Marco responded, and Kat nodded. "I mean, if you stay low enough you'll be fine but any higher and it'd be like Icarus getting to close to the sun."

"Only a lot gorier." Kat nodded in agreement before sighing. "Marco, I've been thinking about what you said last week, near the end of the hostage crises at Mid-Town High?"

"You mean my declaration of love?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "What about it?" Marco asked, and he quickly got his answer as Kat shifted her weight until she was on top of him.

"How's this for an answer?" Kat asked before she went in for a kiss, Marco was all ready to reciprocate the kiss and whatever else Kat had in mind but just as their lips was close enough for the kiss Kat's ring tone went off. "Ugh, seriously?"

"Can't you ignore it? I mean we had a good thing going." Marco asked, and Kat checked her phone.

"I'd better answer, it's my mom." Kat responded as she shook her head before getting off Marco and sitting up before she answered it. "Hi mom, no you weren't interrupting anything, me and Marco were just talking." Kat lied as Marco sat up. "WHAT?!"

" _That doesn't sound good."_ Marco thought as the Chinese girl got up and ran over to the car.

"I'll be right over mom, don't worry." Kat added before hanging up. "Marco, which bag has my stuff in it?"

"The one closest to the door your next too." Marco responded, and Kat quickly opened it and started putting on her Dragon Girl outfit on top of her regular clothes not caring about the fact that her regular clothes included a top that covered her midriff. "Why?"

"Some mobster just tried to extort money from mom." Kat responded as she put the mask on and Marco's eyes widened. "She's fine, Captain America was there to scare off the thugs, but I need to be there, and I can get there a lot faster flying."

"No worries, I guess we'll pick up were we left off another time?" Marco asked, and Kat sighed.

"Sorry, that seemed like a perfect time to cement our relationship." Kat responded before she started to fly. "See you back in the city."

"Will do, feel free to use your backpack to store the outfit." Marco responded, and Kat nodded before flying off. _"Man, I was so close, hope Kat kicks that mobster's ass for cockblockng me!"_ Marco thought before he went over to his car.

*a bit later*

It had taken her twenty minutes, but Kat had arrived back at the restaurant and had landed on the roof of the building, Kat took a moment to make sure no one was looking before she started taking off the Dragon Girl outfit.

" _Son of a bitch! I should've been here!"_ Kat thought as she stripped down to her civilian clothes and quickly stuffed her Dragon Girl outfit into the backpack. _"Thank god Cap was there, I shudder to think what could've happened."_

"The criminal element is a nasty thing, isn't it?" Kat looked up and realized that she wasn't alone on the rooftop as Target was standing across from her. "Your mother would've never been put in danger if it was eliminated, don't you agree?"

"Who are you?" Kat asked as she straightened up and slung the backpack over her shoulder. "Are you the scumbag that tried to extort money from my mom?"

"Don't insult me." Target responded as he stepped forward. "They call me Target, I am the leader of an organization that seeks to eliminate the criminal element."

"You mean the Scourge of the Underworld." Kat responded before folding her arms. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't go get Cap."

"Because we are doing the work neither you nor your father have the guts to do." Target said before withdrawing his gun and inspecting it. "We can work together Katrina, eliminate the criminal element once and for all, no thugs to extort money from your mother, you'll no longer have to worry if your father will return home or not, you can focus on your athletics career, think off the possibilities!" Target added and that gave Kat pause. "If there was no criminal element there would've been no criminals to attempt to violate you on your first day in the city."

" _He raises some good points."_ Kat thought before shaking her head. "No! I don't care if you bring up some good points Target, there's no way in hell I'd sink to your level." Kat added before grabbing her phone. "In fact, I could just as easily call Captain America right now and he could…." Kat never finished her sentence as a single gunshot rang out and the bullet impacted her phone destroying it in the process. "Hey! That was a Christmas present!"

"Naïve, foolish girl." Target scoffed as he started to walk away. "We will meet again Katrina and next time I won't be so polite, they call me Target because I never miss and next time? Your phone will be the least of your worries!"

" _How the hell am I supposed to explain this to dad?!"_ Kat thought as she stared at the destroyed phone, when she looked up again however Target was long gone. _"Target, great, my first Supervillain who doesn't belong to anyone else's rogue's gallery and he shares a name with a popular supermarket chain!"_

"I told you, I thought I heard the gunshot from up here." Kat looked up and saw Captain America climbing up the fire escape she had planned to use before the conversation with Target, when Cap saw her however his expression turned to one of concern. "Kat are you hurt?"

"No, aside from my back pain the only thing damaged is my phone." Kat responded as she held up the destroyed phone. "And you wouldn't believe who I just had a conversation with."

"I fought in the second world war and have been a Superhero a lot longer than you." Captain America responded as he folded his arms. "Try me."

"He calls himself Target." Kat responded as she leaned back. "Apparently he runs the revived Scourge organization, not only that but he tried to recruit me."

"I take it the recruitment was unsuccessful?" Captain America responded, and Kat nodded. "We'd better get downstairs, your mother's worried sick and don't worry about your phone, I'm sure I can talk Stark into buying you a replacement."

"Thanks Cap." Kat responded with a nod before following Cap down the fire escape.

*that evening across town*

Whilst that was going on at the family restaurant something different was happening at one of the seedier nightclubs across town.

"Ladies, ladies, don't fight over me!" Blare said as he left the nightclub in the company of several scantily clad women, the Supervillain had just gotten out of jail after a very brief run in with Spider-Man nearly twenty years ago but still seemed to be up to his old tracks. "There's plenty of Blare to go around! Besides, I could've beaten Spider-Man all those years ago."

"Oh really?" One of the bouncers asked before producing a shotgun from her jacket. "But can you beat death itself?" Blare never got a chance to answer as the bouncer, in reality the Scourge of the Underworld agent Kara, shot him through the back killing him instantly as he collapsed among his lady friends. "Justice is served, Blare." Kara added before pocketing the gun and running off in the confusion.

"Excellent work Kara." Target complemented her through his earpiece as she ran off. "Your getaway vehicle awaits down that alley, you've managed to earn a stay of execution for your failed hit on Chemistro."

" _I would be a fool to think that that was all I needed to do to make up for that mistake."_ Kara thought as she hopped into the back of the truck and it sped off whilst she got changed out of her disguise. _"Sooner or later, I will get another shot at Chemistro and next time, that Dragon Girl won't be there to save him!"_


	8. Mob Rules

A day had passed since Katrina's first meeting with Target, but that meeting was far from the only thing on her mind right now, as she had expected the back pain had gotten worse by the time the morning came and her dad had driven her to the hospital to get it looked at.

"Relax Kat, I'm sure everything's going to be fine." Howard reassured his daughter as she paced back and forth in the waiting area. "Let's just go over what your going to say to the doctor once your allowed in." Howard added, and Kat sighed before sitting down.

"Okay, I started getting pain in my upper back on Saturday evening and its only gotten worse since." Katrina responded as she leaned forward. "I have no idea what's caused it, can't be anything to do with my athletics since I was a runner before I got my mutant powers and I'm wondering if there's anything you can do to help." Kat added, and Howard nodded.

"Keep that up and we'll be out of here in no time." Howard reassured her as Katrina rested her chin on her hand whilst resting her arm on her leg. "I know this is a bad time to bring it up, but do you remember anything of your meeting with this Target character?"

"Not a lot, he was definitely the politest Supervillain I've met since I got my powers." Kat responded before scoffing. "Not that that's saying much, he still destroyed my phone for no reason other than getting Captain America on his ass and he still tried to recruit me into the Scourge organization."

"And I'm proud of you for refusing the offer the way you did." Howard responded, and Katrina grinned in response. "Hopefully the wait won't be too much longer."

"Katrina Sheng Lao?" One of the nurse's called out and Katrina stood up gingerly before following the nurse to the doctor's office with her dad.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on with Kat Marco was having a drive around town as he was still getting a feel for his new car.

"She may not be Ms. Right but she'll do right now!" Marco sung along (badly) to the song "Right Now" by SR-71 as he drove around the city whilst drumming along with the riff on the steering wheel. _"I hope Kat's hospital appointment goes well, and that she gets a doctor that isn't prejudiced against Mutants."_ Marco thought as the second verse of the song started playing and he resumed singing along, for a given definition of singing. _"Hopefully we'll get another chance at cementing our relationship and who knows where we'll take the relationship from there."_

"Marco, can you stop strangling a cat for a moment?" Captain America's annoyed voice rang out through the earpiece and Marco turned down the music before pulling over. "Thank you, have you heard anything from Kat since her father took her to the hospital?"

"No, not really, though the issue concerned her dad enough to take the first day off I've ever seen him take," Marco responded as he shook his head. "And after the murder of Blare last night, it's especially surprising."

"Agreed, hopefully the police can do their job without his presence." Captain America responded with concern in his voice. "Though I will give the Scourge organization credit for managing to kill someone who I thought had been dead for years."

"Yeah but let's be honest, who stays dead in our line of work?" Marco asked as he glanced around. "I mean, you died ten years ago but that's not stopping me from talking to you."

"True enough but Blare had been under the radar so long that most heroes had forgotten about him." Captain America agreed before sighing. "I have to go but if Target tries to recruit you, let me know, and stop strangling cats for the love of god!"

"I was singing!" Marco protested, and he could hear someone scoffing in the background. "Let me guess, Iron Man?"

"Got it in one." Iron Man's voice rang out and Marco groaned. "Kid, I've heard better singing from Happy Hogan in the shower, do us all a favor and don't audition for The Voice."

"I hate that show anyway." Marco responded, and the heroes breathed a sigh of relief before they hung up. _"I swear, people older than me have no taste!"_ Marco thought as he pulled out of the parking spot and started driving off. _"Wait, does Kat count? I mean yeah, we're the same age but she's like, two months older than me! Think I'll ask her what she thinks once she gets out of hospital, granted it is a weird thing to ask your friend after she's just gotten out of the hospital but…..."_ Marco's train of thought was interrupted when someone stepped out in front of his car and stopped in the street, Marco quickly slammed on the breaks and managed to stop the car before it hit the person. "What the hell?!" Marco wondered before getting out of the car. "Hey, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"No but I do want to talk to you." The figure responded before turning around and revealing himself to be Shaun Gibson. "Marco Gordano."

"Huh? How do you know my name?" Marco asked as he walked over to the older man, however before either men could say anything else they heard cars honking behind them. "Maybe we should continue this another time, before I piss off half the drivers in New York?"

"Or we'll continue this conversation now." Shaun responded before pulling back his jacket and revealing a gun in his waistband. "And before you go calling your girlfriend's dad, yes, I do have an open carry permit."

"You're still threatening an eighteen-year-old who's car you just walked out in front of." Marco responded as he folded his arms. "And I'm going to make this quick before I become the victim of a road rage incident, what do you want? Because if you know my name then you know what I'm capable off and I could easily send a few trash can lids your way."

"Relax, no need to resort to violence." Shaun responded as he folded his arms. "The name's Shaun, I believe your girlfriend met an associate of mine on the roof of her family's restaurant yesterday, kinda hard to forget him, what with his gaudy blue outfit and all, and I'm here to recruit you."

"Target? That makes you a member of the Scourge organization." Marco responded before he went to return to the car. "In which case, you can fuck off! I don't care how good the pay is or what kind off dental or medical plan you offer, I don't associate with murderers and sooner or later, you'll be taken down…." Marco never finished his sentence as he heard a gun click and turned around seeing Shaun pointing the gun to his head.

"That's the difference between me and Target, kid, he makes people offers, they refuse, and he lets them live and let live." Shaun stated before grinning. "But me? Well, I'm more of an offer you can't refuse type of guy, so either you join or the next time your girlfriend sees you will be at your funeral…..." Shaun never finished his sentence as another motorist charged him and tackled him to the ground and held him in place. "Get off me!"

"No one's pulling a gun on a kid on my watch ya scumbag!" The motorist responded before getting the gun away from Shaun's grasp. "Has anyone called the cops on this guy yet?!"

"No need." A familiar voice rang out and Marco looked up and saw Jenny in plain clothes running up with her badge out. "Thanks for the help sir, I'll take it from here." Jenny said as she showed the motorist her badge and he nodded before getting up, however Shaun used the opportunity to get to his feet and make a run for his gun. "Marco?"

"On it!" Marco responded before sending a levitating trash can lid flying towards Shaun and it hit him just before the trash can lid hit him in the head knocking him out. "And I think you'd like to know that he identified himself as a member of the Scourge of the Underworld organization."

"That guy's a scourge? I thought they only targeted Super criminals?" The motorist asked with a confused look on his face and Marco shrugged whilst Jenny made the arrest. "Anyway, you okay kid?"

"I'd prefer it if I could go a week without my life being in danger, I got caught up in the incident at Mid-Town High last week." Marco responded as he sat down on the hood of his car. "What can I say? I've had a crazy couple of weeks."

"Wait, you're that mutant I saw on TV, aren't you?" The motorist asked, and Marco hesitated before nodding at which point the motorist, to his surprise, shook his hand. "I can't thank you enough for helping Captain America with that, my daughter's a sophomore in that school and when she got home all she could talk about was how these two loners stood up for the whole school with their mutant powers, hey where's that Asian girl you were with? I bet she'd love to give my daughter an autograph."

"It's kind of a long story but she's in the hospital getting her back checked out, it had been bothering her all weekend." Marco responded as he shook his head. "But I'd be happy to pass the message on."

"No problem and tell her to get well soon." The motorist responded before heading over to his car, once Shaun was in the police car Jenny walked over to Marco.

"Marco are you feeling okay?" Jenny asked as she walked up to him. "That must've been a scary situation."

"Hey, after dealing with supervillains for the past week, a psycho with a gun is almost a welcome break." Marco joked, and Jenny shook her head. "Don't know how much help it'd be but he identified himself as Shaun, didn't catch a surname."

"Probably won't be much help as that is a common name." Jenny admitted as she glanced towards Shaun. "But one of the main suspects in the murders of Styx and Stone is a man called Shaun, so it is a step in the right direction. I'd better get him to the precinct?"

"Before you go, any updates on Kat?" Marco asked, and Jenny shook her head. "Well, thanks for the help anyway."

"Anytime." Jenny responded before they got into their cars.

" _First they try to recruit Kat and now me! At least Kat didn't get a gun pointed to her head, if she did she probably would've melted it."_ Marco thought as he started up the car again and looked around for places to make a U-Turn. _"After that I'm ready to go home and just chill for a few hours until Kat gets out of the hospital, don't know if she'll be in any condition to go out on patrol tonight but we'll see."_ Marco thought before driving off.

*later*

An hour had passed back at the hospital but for Kat it felt like an eternity had passed, shortly after being seen to by the doctor she had been sent to the X-Ray department to get her back X-Rayed and they were waiting on the results of the X-Ray.

"Just remember Kat, if they can't find anything, its not the end of the world." Howard reminded Kat as his daughter leaned forward. "It just means they'll be doing an MRI next."

"I know dad, I just want to get this over with." Kat responded before she glanced towards the doctor's office. _"I'm only eighteen and I'm already having back problems! Can't help but feel worried about how I'll be when I reach my mom's age!"_

"Katrina Sheng Lao?" The nurse called out and Katrina stood up alongside her dad before following the nurse to the doctor's office, when they got in they saw the doctor looking at the X-Ray of Kat's spine with a confused look on his face.

" _Whatever's wrong with me has the doctor confused."_ Kat thought as she sat down in a chair opposite the doctor and her dad sat next to her. _"That's never a good sign."_ Kat thought before the doctor put the X-Ray up.

"Well Katrina, I've been a doctor for most of my life, but I have to admit, the results of your X-Ray have me confused." The doctor responded before motioning to the area just below the armpits which was were Kat's back pain was at its worse. "I'm not sure how else to describe it but it seems like more bones are developing and pointing outwards, I think an MRI might be required to figure out just what's going on with your body young lady."

"It may be nothing but Katrina's a mutant and I've heard that there have been cases of mutant powers continuing to develop after being awakened." Howard suggested, and the doctor scratched his chin in thought. "Could that have anything to do with it?"

"Perhaps, mutants are not my field of medical expertise however." The doctor responded with a nod. "I'm not saying it's impossible but if you want a more concrete answer for that question Mr. Lao then I'd have to refer you to a Specialist on developing mutant powers and the impact that could have on the mutant's body, but I'd feel better if we do the MRI first, just to confirm that there was nothing wrong with the X-Ray Machine."

"I don't care, anything the helps me figure out what's causing my back pain is fine by me." Kat responded with a shrug and the doctor nodded.

"Okay, I just need to go over what this will entail for you." The doctor responded, and Katrina leaned forward. "You would have to lie completely still whilst the MRI machine does its job and examines your back which will take about 45 minutes, during that time it would access the three sections of your spine and before we reach the third and final section it will use gadolinium contrast material which will be added via an IV." The doctor added before noticing the confused look on Katrina's face. "Not the first time I've gotten that look from a patient around your age, but it will be the best way to determine what, if anything, is wrong with your back."

"I don't care, like I said, I just want to figure out what the hell is wrong with my back." Kat responded, and the doctor nodded.

"Don't worry Katrina, it will be painless." Howard assured her, and Katrina turned to her dad. "Boring? Probably but painless? Yes."

"Can't be any worse than sitting through a math's lecture." Kat joked getting a laugh out of the two adults. "How soon can I get started?"

"I'll send you back to the X-Ray department, after that it should be relatively quick." The doctor responded before handing a note to Howard. "Just remember to give this to the receptionist." The doctor added before Howard and Katrina left.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on there was a completely different scene in Scourge HQ.

"Startling scenes unfolded on main street this morning as a gunman threatened to kill an eighteen-year-old driver." The news anchor said as the scene played out on camera thanks to video taken from a phone. "Thankfully the young man was saved by another motorist and the gunman was arrested, neither the identity of the gunman or his would be victim have been made public though it appears to the young mutant Marco Gordano, otherwise known as Mental Boy, the gunman is in custody and awaits trial."

"I told Shaun to lure Marco to a secluded area and what does he do?" Target commented as he watched the news report on the confrontation between Marco and Shaun on TV whilst messaging his temples in annoyance. "Not openly threaten him in the middle of a busy street! That idiot is lucky that he wasn't attacked by more good Samaritans but now we have a problem, if he testifies in exchange for a deal then this whole operation goes up in smoke."

"Want me to go silence him boss?" Kara asked as she walked up to Target. "He is a criminal and I'm sure there's a few police uniforms in the disguise room, just give me the word and I'll make sure he doesn't testify."

"We went over this yesterday when discussing how to deal with Chemistro, a hit in a police station is too risky." Target responded before sighing. "But I will be breaking him out later, if he makes a good case for why I should spare him then he'll get another chance, otherwise? I'll leave his rotting corpse in the holding cell." Target added before handing her a file. "In the meantime, you have another target to hit, the murder of Blare was a step in the right direction, but you have a long way to go."

"Consider it done." Kara responded once she read the file and walked off.

*later*

" _Would've appreciated it if the doctor had warned me about how loud those MRI machines are."_ Kat thought as she waited in the waiting room once again, by now the Chinese teenager was clearly bored out of her mind as she had been spending the time in between sessions with the doctor either playing with her hair or checking her Facebook wall via her phone. _"Hopefully this'll be the last time I have to see the doctor again, at this rate I'll never get any time to go out on patrol."_

"Katrina Sheng Lao?" The nurse called out and Katrina breathed a sigh of relief before standing up alongside her dad and following the nurse to the doctor's office, the doors opened and when she stepped in Kat noticed another doctor in the room with them.

"Katrina, I may as well give it to you straight." The doctor said before motioning to the other doctor in the room. "This is Dr. Koboyashi, he is the mutant specialist here at the hospital and he'll be taking over the case from me." The doctor said as he motioned to the Japanese man who shook both of their hands. "I've already filed the paperwork for the referral and I've brought him up to date."

"Yes, and based on my observations, your guess about Katrina's mutant powers evolving was accurate." Dr. Koboyashi responded as he motioned to the MRI scan of Katrina's spine. "Under the X-Ray you could only see two of those bones protruding but now that we have the results from the MRI we can see that these bones are developing down the spinal column."

"Look, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I understand any medical terminology." Kat responded as she messaged her forehead in annoyance. "So, could you just tell me this, will be this be good or bad for me?"

"At the moment? That is hard to say." Dr. Koboyashi responded as he turned to her. "The evolution of mutant powers is a complex process, sometimes it can take years or even decades, sometimes, like in your case, it can take as little as a few days."

"What about Katrina's back pain?" Howard asked as he leaned forward. "That was the whole reason we came here in the process, is there anything you can do to help her?"

"Aside from write a prescription for pain killers, no, and I'll leave that to your family doctor." Dr. Koboyashi responded and the doctor started writing a prescription. "In cases like this the pain should pass once the evolution is complete, what this will mean for you is yet to be seen but there is some good news to come out of it."

"What do you mean?" Kat asked as she glanced towards the MRI scan and Dr. Koboyashi turned to her.

"Well, in the simplest terms, this evolution appears to be strengthening your spine." Dr. Koboyashi explained and Kat nodded. "Again, it is hard to predict what the end result will be but once it happens don't hesitate to bring Katrina in, once the evolution is complete I should have a clearer picture of what this means for you."

"So, in other words, sit and wait whilst popping pain killers?" Kat asked and Dr. Koboyashi nodded in response. "I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived at the hospital this morning but at least we have some answers, thanks doc."

"Not a problem, if you experience any complications don't hesitate to book an appointment." Dr. Koboyashi responded and Kat nodded. "Any questions?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Kat said as she glanced over to the MRI can. "If the evolution of my powers is affecting my whole spine then why is it only my upper back that's hurting?"

"That is a good question and I'll admit that it has me wondering as well." Dr. Koboyashi responded as he glanced over to the MRI scan. "You mentioned to my colleague that the back pain started on Saturday but wasn't that noticeable, did you happen to notice where it came from?"

"Same place its always been, my upper back." Kat responded with a shrug and Dr. Koboyashi frowned. "Before that I was licking my wounds from my fight against Rhino and I was in pain from that for obvious reasons."

"Yes, I remember seeing that on TV." Dr. Koboyashi responded after thinking for a moment. "Very brave but very foolish."

"Like I haven't heard enough of that from my parents." Kat sighed as she glanced over at her dad. "You think it might have started then but I didn't notice because I was already in pain."

"Possibly, I will compare notes with Dr. Richards." Dr. Koboyashi responded before Dr. Richards handed Howard the prescription. "That should be all for today, remember any complications over the next couple of days just book an appointment."

"Thank god, I've never gotten so sick of a waiting room before today." Kat joked before standing up alongside her dad and she followed him out of the office. _"What time is it anyway?"_ Kat wondered before grabbing her phone. _"4:30, and we got here around nine o'clock, wonder what I missed?"_

*two hours later*

After Kat had returned home she had called Marco to ask if there was still time for them to go out on patrol which he had readily agreed too, currently Kat was sitting on a rooftop opposite the restaurant eating a snack as she waited for Marco.

" _At least the pain killers are helping."_ Kat thought as she glanced around. _"Back still doesn't feel great but the pain's a lot more manageable."_ Kat thought before she heard something fly by her before stopping behind her. "If that's one of the Goblins, you're not being subtle by using that thing to sneak up on me." Kat commented without turning around.

"Kat, if it was one of the Goblins I don't think they'd sneak up on you." Marco responded as he hopped off his new hoverboard, it was similar in design to the ones used by the goblins but blue in color and a lot less menacing looking, Kat grinned before taking off her mask and Marco did likewise for his helmet. "So, how's your back?"

"It's complicated." Kat sighed as she swung her legs over. "I had an X-Ray and an MRI done and they both confirmed the same thing, for lack of a better turn, my powers are evolving."

"Evolving?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow. "How so?"

"Like I said, it's complicated but the back pain is being caused by more bones developing and before you ask, no I don't know what the end result will be." Kat responded with a sigh. "The most they could do for me was prescribe me painkillers and dad's been monitoring my intake to make sure that I don't get addicted to the stuff, mom will take over that duty when he's back on duty, but it is helping." Kat added before grinning. "So, what about you? Anything I missed whilst I was out?"

"Well my day started with Iron Man and Captain America roasting me over my singing, my fault for leaving an open channel in my car." Marco responded, and Kat nearly doubled over with laughter. "I just chalked it up to them being older."

"Err, no, as someone who had to suffer through you butchering everything from The Offspring to Iron Maiden at school talent shows trust me, you're that bad." Kat responded with a grin and Marco groaned. "And I'm not saying that because I'm two months older than you."

"Thanks for the kind words." Marco sighed before sitting down next to Kat. "And after that, I had a run in with a member of the Scourge of the Underworld organization, he called himself Shaun and he tried to recruit me."

"I'm guessing you told Shaun where to shove his offer?" Kat asked, and Marco nodded.

"Yep, and that's when he pulled a gun on me." Marco added, and Kat nearly fell over in shock after hearing that. "Looked ready to kill me to boot, thankfully another motorist tackled him before he could fire his gun and Jenny quickly arrested him."

"So, we've gone from preventing a Scourge of the Underworld hit to Chemistro to having a member in custody?" Kat asked, and Marco nodded. "I think it's safe to call that a massive win for the good guys, hopefully they can get some useful info from him before the Scourges come for him."

"Agreed." Marco nodded in agreement. "You know Kat, if you still want to cement our relationship as being more than just friends, I definitely won't mind."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Kat responded before leaning in for a kiss and Marco did likewise, however just before their lips touched something caught Kat's eye. "Hey, what's going on down there?"

"What? You've never seen a boner before?" Marco joked, and Kat gave him a playful slap on the arm whilst holding back on the strength to make sure she didn't seriously hurt him.

"Give me a break, we both had the same sex ed lesson back at our old school." Kat responded before motioning to the back entrance of the restaurant where several masked men were gathered, Kat put on her mask and started flying. "I'm going to see if I can listen in without them noticing, if things kick off feel free to ram them with your glider." Kat added before flying just above the thugs whilst Marco quickly put his helmet on.

"That little old Chinese lady will never suspect a thing!" The lead thug commented with a chuckle as he worked away at the lock. "Okay, plan is, break in, set fire to the place and leave, if the owner intervenes, well, the boss told us to do what we want to her so use your imagination, any objections?"

"Yeah, from me!" Kat's angry voice rang out before she swooped down and sent the lead thug flying with a kick to the head though it wasn't enough to knock him out, two thugs didn't even get a chance to respond as Marco's glider rammed into them knocking them off their feet. "Leave now! Or I will stop holding back." Kat warned the thugs with a glare and the thugs scrambled to their feet before fleeing, however the lead thug stayed put as he was still licking his wounds, so Kat stormed up to him. "I'm going to make this nice and quick, who do you work for?!"

"Go to hell you damn chink!" The lead thug spat at Kat who growled before delivering a hard kick to his ribs causing him to groan in pain.

"I don't think you heard me the first time." Kat said as she used her foot to put pressure on the ribs which were clearly broken at this point. "Who do you work for?! And be polite this time, there's only so many ribs I can break!"

"K…. Dragon Girl, that's enough." Marco said as he approached her, but Kat ignored him. "Come on, you're better than this! He's not worth it!"

"You really think I'd betray my boss for you?!" The lead thug responded at which point Kat stepped over him, picked him up by his collar and brought his face close to hers before she got ready to breathe fire at his face at which point the thug started to panic. "W…wait a second, let's not be too hasty!"

"You have five seconds." Kat said in a low voice as he eyes narrowed. "Starting now."

"Kat!" Howard's voice rang out as he ran over to his daughter and Kat glanced up at him. "What on Earth are you doing?!"

"Drexo, I work for Julius Drexo!" The lead thug responded, and Kat called off the fire before letting go. "He wanted us to send a message to the other small businesses in the neighborhood, either pay protection money or see your place go up in smoke, I don't get paid enough to have my ribs broken or my face set on fire!" The thug added, and Kat took several deep breaths before stepping away from him.

"I am Detective Howard Lao of the NYPD!" Howard said to the thug as he held up his badge. "Go get yourself patched up and never return, not even under your bosses' orders, do I make myself clear?" Howard added, and the thug gulped before scrambling to his feet and running off as fast as he could on broken ribs, once he was sure the thug was long gone Howard turned to his daughter with a disappointed look on his face. "I thought I raised you better than that Katrina."

"He and his thugs were going to set fire to our home and do god knows what to mom!" Kat protested as she removed her mask and glared at her dad. "And you let him go?!"

"What did you expect me to do? Charge him using information gathered via torture?!" Howard asked and that gave Kat pause. "I understand your anger Katrina but if I presented that evidence you just obtained not only would it be tossed out of court in record time but my career as an officer of the law would be over! Do you understand that?!"

"I…" Kat went to reply but she struggled to find the words, or any explanation for her actions. "I couldn't let those thugs think that they could get away with that…"

"And you went the completely wrong way about it." Howard sighed before motioning to the house. "I know you planned to go out on patrol tonight but we both know that you need to cool down, your lucky that we haven't gotten around to installing the CCTV back here otherwise your choice of Superhero name would be the least of your worries."

"Look, Howard, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen." Marco said after a few seconds and removed his helmet. "Tell you the truth? She just scared the hell out of me."

"Don't worry about it Marco, if you want to pick up the slack on patrol go ahead." Kat sighed, and Marco nodded before hopping on his glider and flying off before putting the helmet back on. "You'll keep this a secret right?"

"From your mother? Yes, from the Superheroes you work with? Well, they can explain why they never had to resort to such tactics better than I could." Howard responded before they entered the restaurant and headed straight to their home at the back of the building.

*that night*

It was now late at night at NYPD HQ and for the most part the cops were all at home with their families aside from those working the nightshift.

" _What a damn joke."_ Shaun thought as he leaned back in the bunk bed of his holding cell. _"I refused to say anything until my lawyer gets here and because he's delayed I have to wait all day."_ Shaun thought before one of the night shift guards walked up to his cell. "What? Does the graveyard shift want a shot at me now?"

"No, but it's funny how you used that name." The guard responded before removing his mask and all color drained from Shaun's face when he saw who it was. "After all, you might be occupying a place in a graveyard unless you explain yourself."

"Target?!" Shaun asked with a gulp. "Look, I can explain….."

"You have ten minutes, otherwise you won't leave this police station alive." Target responded before getting one of his guns out.


	9. Dying for an Angel

It was the day after the attempted arson at the restaurant and Kat and Marco were now back at SHIELD HQ for more training, however for Kat training was the last thing on her mind as Marco walked up to her as she sat outside Captain America's office.

"Marco, remember when you managed to accidentally hijack an assembly because they put you in charge of the projector screen and you forgot about your laptop's graphic Anime lesbian porn wallpaper?" Kat asked as her friend walked up to her and he nodded. "I think I know how you felt when you waited outside the principle's office for your dad to arrive."

"Yeah, except I only faced possible expulsion." Marco responded as he sat next to the Chinese girl who sighed knowing where he was going with this. "Your facing getting a verbal beatdown from Captain America, the guy who supplied us with our costumes, equipment and training, because you decided to channel the spirit of Jack Baur when dealing with that thug!" Marco added, and Katrina groaned as she ran a hand through her hair. "I wasn't kidding when I said that you scared the hell out of my last night Kat, I thought you were actually going to kill him."

"You heard what he said to his buddies!" Kat asserted as she folded her arms. "What was I supposed to do? Leave him to his devices? I could've ended up homeless Marco!"

"I'm not saying that and to be honest? If that was my house and they were talking about Sophia that way, I don't think i would've been able to control myself either!" Marco responded with a frown and Katrina nodded. "But you could've called your dad over and let him handle the interrogation whilst we went out on patrol, at least then you wouldn't risk getting chewed out by the very heroes you grew up idolizing."

"Before I went out on patrol he went off to the shops, I had no idea when he was going to get back and you know how bad the traffic in New York can get!" Kat asserted before sighing. "How did patrol go last night? Wasn't too difficult without me around?"

"Nah, there were no Supervillains about, so I just busted up some regular criminals until I decided to head home for the night." Marco explained with a shrug and Kat grinned at that. "I'm not saying there weren't times where I was thinking "boy, I sure could use Kat's brawn right now" but I handled it okay." Marco added, and Kat nodded in response before Marco checked his Facebook wall. "Oh boy, I think your dad's going to be busy today."

"What do you mean?" Kat asked, and Marco showed her the story he had just seen on his wall. "That gunman who threatened you was busted out?"

"Middle of the night as well, I think I'll be content to just stay in my costume until he's captured again." Marco responded with a nervous laugh before the door to Cap's office opened ad Kat was motioned in by She-Hulk. "So, you want me to start making funeral arrangements?"

"Just worry about drowning out the inevitable shouting match with your music, and try not to sing along, the SHIELD agents have enough on their plates without you torturing their ears." Kat responded, and Marco rolled his eyes before she stood up and followed She-Hulk into the office were both Iron Man and Captain America waited for her with frowns on their faces. _"It can't be that bad right? I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"_

"Frankly Katrina, I don't even know where to start." Captain America stated as he invited her to take a seat which she did. "When you and Marco joined the internship, it was under the agreement that you would learn to use your powers responsibly and for a few days, the two of you did just that and made great strides in your training." Captain America added before sighing. "And then came the disturbing call I got from your father."

"I know my dad made sure to include the context of my actions, not saying it excuses what I did but if I didn't do something those thugs would've burnt down my home and do horrible things to my mother if she resisted." Kat responded with a sigh as she felt the glares of the three heroes bearing down on her. "The lead thug was the only one left after I managed to scare off the others, so I went over for a chat with him…."

"A chat? Is that what you call breaking the guy's ribs and threatening to set him on fire?!" Iron Man interrupted her, and Kat winced at his tone of voice. "Marco told us everything about the incident before your dad stepped in, he was scared that you were going to kill him!"

"Yeah, I know." Kat sighed as she shifted her weight. "But I couldn't let him get away with what he planned to do to my family and I didn't know when my dad was going to get back from the shops."

"I was in the area, you could've asked me to drag him off to prison." She-Hulk chimed in as she walked up to the teenager. "Yeah, I get it, you let your emotions get the better of you but what you did back there made you no better than those thugs, being a Superhero isn't just about going around and beating up bad guys Kat, the public holds us to a higher moral standard for a reason, something you know all to well considering how long you've idolized us."

"Fortunately, there was no CCTV footage of the incident and I doubt the public would believe that word of a criminal over the word of a Superhero, even one as young as you." Captain America chimed in before frowning. "Unfortunately, this confirms that you're not ready to join the Avengers once the internship is up, in other words, you are dropped from the internship Katrina." Captain America added, and Kat's eyes widened when she heard that. "You'll get to keep your costume and equipment but that's it, if you prove yourself worthy of rejoining at a later date you'll be welcomed with open arms but don't think it'll be as easy as it was the first time around."

"I understand." Kat managed to blurt out as it sunk in, Kat could feel the tears coming and kept her head low, so the older heroes wouldn't see her cry. "Can I go?"

"You can, just remember that just because you're off the internship doesn't mean you won't be able to call on us for help, at the end of the day you're still a Superhero and we still help each other." Captain America responded, and Kat nodded before leaving quickly, She-Hulk briefly saw the tears in the Chinese girl's eyes as she walked past and sighed once the door was closed. "I know you were the sole vote against kicking her off Jen, but it was still a two to one decision, she'll learn from this."

"And how many mistakes did you make when you were her age? You just shattered her dreams into a million pieces because of one mistake and who's to say that she'll want to continue as Dragon Girl after this?" Jen pointed out and the two men remained silent. "Well, if anything, her family will help her get back on her feet, but she should've gotten a second chance."

"She tortured a guy Jen, understandable reason or not, she needed to be brought back down to earth." Iron Man responded, and She-Hulk frowned in response. "Besides, its not like we're the only option available for her, she's a mutant right? I'm surprised she hasn't gotten any calls from the X-Men."

"Regardless of what happens from here on in, we should keep an eye on her." Cap responded with a frown as he leaned forward. "And hope that she won't do anything to reckless."

*meanwhile outside the office*

"Kat? How did it go?" Marco asked once he saw Kat walk out of the office with her head low and her hands in her jeans pockets, "Kat?" Marco asked before he got a better look at her face and saw the tears swelling up.

"I…...I don't want to talk about it!" Kat said before storming off towards where the teens had kept their costumes, Marco sat there in silence for a few minutes before the door opened again and She-Hulk emerged.

"What did you tell her exactly?" Marco asked, and She-Hulk frowned before relaying the meeting to him, once he put two and two together Marco promptly stood up and walked in the same direction Kat went. "I'm going after her, if Cap doesn't like it, well maybe he shouldn't have kicked her off the program!" Marco added before he broke off into a sprint. _"I just hope that I can find her before a Supervillain does, even if it's a D-Lister like Chemistro there's no way she's in fighting shape."_

*later*

It was now the middle of the day and Kat had been flying around in her Dragon Girl guise for what felt like forever, she eventually settled down on the roof of a high-rise building overlooking Central Park and once she sat down she removed her mask before slamming it to the roof in frustration.

" _Damn it, the opportunity I've always dreamed off and I blew it after a week!"_ Kat thought as she held her head in her hands, by now the tears had long since dried up though the tears had been staining the inside of her mask thoroughly, but it was easy to tell that she had been crying from her bloodshot eyes. _"What am I supposed to do now? The only reason I'm as good as I am at this Superhero thing is because of the training and now that's out the window!"_

"Seriously Kat, you couldn't have chosen a less inconvenient place for you to mope?!" Marco's voice rang out and Kat looked up seeing him in his Mental Boy costume sans helmet which he was carrying under his arm and Kat turned her attention away from him. "Oh, come on! Don't you want to talk?!"

"No, I don't!" Kat snapped at him as she folded her arms. "Don't you have a cat to save from a tree or something?!"

"Hey, that only happened once on Saturday and I remember you cooing over the kitty." Marco protested, and Katrina rolled her eyes. "Look, I talked with She-Hulk shortly after you stormed out, I know what they to you back there…."

"Then why are you bothering me?!" Kat snapped at him again as she fiddled with her hair. "I may as well kiss my dreams of being a famous hero goodbye! I had an opportunity that many heroes my age would kill for and I fucking blew it!"

"Kat, you were a hero before we met Captain America, I mean, how many eighteen-year old's wouldn't think twice about jumping into action against the Rhino after just acquiring super powers?" Marco asked before frowning. "Okay, can I at least join you on the rooftop? This thing only has so much fuel and I spent most of it following you up here! Just saying, I don't like the idea of falling to my death!"

"Fine." Kat sighed in response and Marco landed on the roof before deactivating his glider and sitting down next to her. "You said it to them yourself! You were worried that I was going to kill that thug last night! Some hero I've turned out to be!"

"Kat, you shouldn't let you get this down, you remember the incident with Shaun I told you about?" Marco asked and after thinking for a moment Kat nodded. "The motorist who saved me has a daughter who was a Sophomore at Mid-Town High and yes, before you ask, she was caught up in the hostage situation last week." Marco added as Kat turned to him. "When she got home after it was resolved all she could talk about was how two loners basically saved the school."

"We weren't loners, we were outcasts, remember?" Kat asked as she turned around. "Funny how she conveniently forgot about that the moment we saved her!"

"Look Kat, you may not believe it, but the motorist didn't even think twice about the fact that I was a mutant, he was just thankful that I had a hand in saving his daughter's life." Marco responded as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "If that was how her dad reacted then his daughter's probably okay with mutants as well, I mean you got most of your heroism from your dad's side of the family."

"Yeah, that was the whole reason why I wanted to be a hero, I feel like I have a lot to live up to with my dad's long career as a police officer both in China and here in the US." Kat responded before she realized something. "Wait, I thought you said that no one wanted anything to do with you during that lunch break?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow and Marco shook his head.

"To be honest? I only tried the other Seniors, didn't even bother with the Freshmen or the Sophomores." Marco admitted, and Kat shook her head. "Point is, you were already a hero before you were Dragon Girl, it's just about proving yourself all over again to Captain America."

"Easier said than done." Kat admitted with an exasperated sigh. "First time around I had to save a whole lunch hall from two Supervillains with your help, next time I'll probably have to do something insane like defeat Galactus single handedly or win an arm wrestling contest with The Hulk before I even get looked at by them again, I may as well face it, any hope I had of joining the Avengers shattered alongside that guy's ribs." Kat added before sighing. "You know that song "Dying for an Angel" by Avantasia?"

"You mean the song that convinced you that metal wasn't all screaming and shouting?" Marco asked with a grin and Kat nodded. "What about it?"

"I've been thinking abiout some lyrics from that song since I got kicked out, reach out, waiting for a miracle." Kat added with a sigh as she turned to her friend. "Because I feel like I need a miracle if I'm ever going to get back in Cap's good graces!"

"Never say never, that's what my dad always says." Marco responded before realizing something. "Speaking of parents, have you been home since you got kicked off the internship? Or called your dad for that matter?"

"And what? Let them see that their daughter has been crying so much that it's left stains on her mask?!" Kat asked as she held up her Dragon Girl mask and pointed out the tear stains. "Dad's been worried sick about me since my back pain started, why do you think he took the only time he's ever taken off work yesterday to accompany me to the hospital? And mom? She has enough on her plate, no pun intended, with running the restaurant! I didn't want to worry them and besides, have you tried getting phone reception this high up?" Kat asked as she held up her phone which had the "no service" message in the top right-hand corner.

"I'm just saying, you could use their support right now." Marco responded, and Kat let out a deep breath. "But hey, at least we're getting that view you was talking about."

"Huh?" Kat asked before finally noticing the view. "I've been so caught up in my self-pity that I didn't even realize that this was the view I was talking about last week when we were testing our powers." Kat admitted with a small grin. "It's just as great as I imagined." Kat sighed before standing up and putting her mask on. "Your right, besides my parents are probably worried sick that I haven't come home yet, just don't call them and tell them the bad news." Kat said as she started to take flight. "I'd rather tell them myself."

"No service remember?" Marco asked, and Kat grinned sheepishly before taking off. _"At least she's back to her old self, now let's see if I have enough fuel to get down without plummeting to my death."_ Marco thought before checking it. _"Good, getting down won't be a problem, after that? I'd better grab a taxi home."_ Marco thought before putting the helmet back on and flying down to the ground and grabbing a cab once he was on ground level.

*a bit later*

It didn't take long for Kat to fly home but as she neared the restaurant she paused just over the side alley where she had interrogated the thug the previous night, Kat took a deep breath before landing on the rooftop of her home.

"I should've just let him go! I shouldn't have done the things I did to him!" Kat thought as she glanced down at the alley again, with a sad sigh she removed her mask and started putting the Dragon Girl outfit into her backpack which, like the previous night, she had been wearing over her civvies. _"But no, I had to break his ribs, put pressure on them and threaten to set him on fire! Ugh, what the hell was I thinking?!"_ Kat thought before punching the roof in frustration causing a sizeable crack in the roof tile. _"I can't stay up here and wallow in my self-pity, I did that enough back when I was on that high rise earlier, and besides, dad needs to know."_ Kat thought before hopping off the roof and using her flight to control her decent into the side alley. _"He deserves to know just how badly I fucked this up!"_

"Ahh Kat, there you are." Her dad's voice rang out and she glanced up realizing that he had just taken out the trash. "I was wondering how your meeting with Captain America went and…..." Howard trailed off once he saw how bloodshot Kat's eyes were and the look on his face quickly turned to one of concern. "Kat, you know you can talk to me about anything, if you have bad news I want to hear it." Howard added, and Kat took a deep breath.

"I went to SHIELD HQ straight away for the meeting." Kat said as she glanced at the ground with her arms crossed. "They…. they booted me off the internship dad, Cap said that my actions last night were enough to convince him that I wasn't ready for the Avengers, they let me keep my costume and equipment and said that if I prove myself again they'll welcome me back, but the point still stands." Kat said before glancing at her dad. "All because of that phone call you made."

"Kat, I'm sorry that the internship ended the way it did." Howard said as he walked up to his daughter who sighed in response. "But use this as a learning experience and remember, there's nothing stopping you from continuing as Dragon Girl."

"That's the current plan." Kat sighed as she leaned against the wall. "That was the entire reason I didn't come straight home, I needed time to clear my head and Marco helped with that, I don't know what it'll take to get back in Cap's good graces, but I'll figure something out."

"You were always a smart girl Katrina, you'll figure something out." Howard responded before motioning towards the house. "Come on, you must be starving if you didn't get anything to eat on the way back."

"No, I didn't." Kat responded before feeling her stomach rumble. "And yeah, I am a bit hungry." Kat added before following her dad into the house.

*the next day*

The day after Kat's expulsion from the Avengers Internship started like any other day, with Kat waking up in her bed early thanks to the alarm clock.

" _Shut up, shut up!"_ Kat thought as she wearily reached over from her bed and turned off the alarm clock, once that was done she sat up in her bed and quickly realized that she was in a daze. _"I know I just woke up, but I've never felt this tired before."_ Kat thought with a yawn before swinging her legs over, getting out of bed and glancing at the clock. _"Six O'clock, mom and dad won't be awake for another couple of hours at least so I doubt they'll mind me going downstairs in my underwear, so I can get a glass of water."_ Kat thought before opening her bedroom door and quietly making her way down the stairs.

"The search continues for the escaped fugitive Shaun Gibson." The news anchor came on over the radio in the kitchen which Kat ignored as she grabbed a glass before filling it with water. "Gibson, 30, was arrested after pulling a gun on a young motorist and is believed to be responsible for the murders of the Supervillain duo Styx and Stone, police have warned the general public to not approach Shaun and to leave it to either the police or one of the city's many Superheroes as they consider him to be armed and extremely dangerous."

" _A police department filled with New York's finest, my dad included, and a city full of heroes yet they can't find one guy?"_ Kat thought with a sigh as she turned off the radio and started going back up the stairs to return to her room. _"If I wasn't one of those Superheroes myself I'd be wondering what the point was, still Shaun can't hide forever and the same goes for his buddies in the Scourge of the Underworld organization."_ Kat thought as she entered her room and sat down at the edge of her bed before taking a sip. _"Hopefully it won't take too long to extract that scumbag from wherever…."_ Kat's train of thought was abruptly cut off when she saw something in the mirror that caused her to spit out the entire contents of the glass of water before dropping the glass herself in shock causing it to break.

"Kat, did you break something?" Her dad's voice rang out from the other side of the door and Kat couldn't bring herself to respond. "Stay right there, I'll get a dust pan and brush."

"…. what…..." Kat trailed off as she sat with her jaw agape at what she saw in the mirror. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Kat eventually yelled out as she stared at the two large, black and crimson wings that were now protruding from her back.


	10. Wing and a Prayer

When Howard woke up that morning the first thing he heard as he walked past his daughter's bedroom was the sound of glass shattering, when he returned a few minutes later with a dust pan and brush he heard Kat's voice and her shocked/panicked tone greatly concerned him.

"Kat? Is something wrong?" Howard asked as he slowly opened the door, at first, he saw his daughter sitting at the edge of her bed with a shocked look on her face but when he opened the door fully he saw what had caused her reaction as two large wings protruded from her back. "Oh my god, what happened?" Howard asked, and Kat looked up.

"I don't know, I woke up in a daze, so I went downstairs to get something to drink." Kat said before having a feel of her wings to confirm that they weren't seeing things. "Yeah, I know, you've talked to me about walking around the house in my underwear, but I woke up at dawn, figured you wouldn't be awake for another couple of hours." Kat added before running both hands through her hair. "It wasn't until I saw myself in the mirror that I realized that these things sprouted overnight, and no, I don't know how I didn't feel any pain either."

"Those things can retract right?" Howard asked with a concerned look on his face. "Because I don't see you getting out of this room otherwise."

"I don't know, they unfolded when I thought the word extract, I don't know if they are going to retract or…..." Kat's sentence was interrupted when the wings closed in around her body like a bird's wings would until they hugged the sides of her body completely. "Well, so much for my athletic career." Kat sighed as she looked at her trophies. "There's only so long that I can claim that I got dragon wings tattooed down my sides."

"You know I'd never pay for tattoo work that extensive or expensive anyway." Howard responded, and Kat nodded. "Get dressed, we're going straight to the hospital, I'll try to book at emergency appointment with Dr. Koboyashi."

"How am I supposed to fit my wings through my tops?" Kat asked before shaking her head. "That's not a sentence I ever imagined myself saying."

"Just wear one of your tank tops for today, we'll figure something out for the rest of your tops." Howard responded before going towards the door. "And mind yourself around that glass by your right foot."

"Huh?" Kat asked before noticing the broken glass that was her glass of water. "Oh, right." Kat added before waiting for her dad to leave the room and once he did she started looking for a tank top. _"Just when I thought getting kicked off the Avengers Internship was the least of my worries."_ Kat thought before picking up a midriff bearing red tank top and blue jeans. _"Is this what that evolution business was about? It feels like my back pain was never there so who knows, wait, maybe I should wear a long coat as well, yeah that would help hide my wings."_ Kat thought before glancing over at her coats. _"I guess the trench coat Marco got me for my eighteenth birthday will do, I'll definitely be sweating in today's hot weather but it's better than the odd looks the wings will give me."_ Kat thought before thinking of something and grabbing her iPhone. "Marco, I'm off to the hospital and don't know how long I'll be back, I'll text you when I go get back and we'll meet up in central park for patrol, I'll have something to show you and I haven't figured out how to explain it yet." Kat read the message out loud as she wrote it before hitting the send button, pocketing the phone and exiting her room.

"You're not going to be hot in that, aren't you Kat?" Howard asked once he saw his daughter and Kat nodded.

"Yeah, but I figured it was better than the odd looks the wings will give me." Kat responded, and Howard nodded in understanding.

"Fair enough but we have an emergency appointment to get too, your mother will be accompanying us and yes, I told her about the wings." Howard responded, and Kat nodded before following her dad downstairs.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on at Kat's house a different scene was unfolding over at Marco's.

"Man, my head hurts." Marco muttered to himself as he sat up in bed, he had woken up an hour after Kat had but with a major headache. "Pretty sure I would've remembered getting drunk last night, especially if I got up to any mischief with my powers."

"Morning sleepy head!" Marco looked up and saw his younger sister at the door, she was a few inches shorter than Kat and had dark brown hair like Marco only hers was cut short. "How's your girlfriend?"

"If I have to tell you that I'm not dating Kat one more time I'm going to scream." Marco responded as he messaged his forehead. "Or I would if it weren't for my major headache."

"You sure its not from that music you play?" Sophia asked earning an annoyed glare from Marco. "Or from your singing? Because if I had your singing voice I would be barred from every karaoke club in all fifty states."

"Very funny." Marco groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, my head feels like its just gone a few rounds with The Hulk and the Juggernaut at the same time, could you ask dad to get me some headache pills?"

"Yeah, sure." Sophia responded before pausing. "So, seriously, how is Kat? I heard that she took her firing really badly."

"I had to chase her all over New York before she settled on a High Rise near central park just, so I could give her that much needed pep talk." Marco explained with a frown as he started brushing his hair. "So yeah, I'd say that's accurate, she was feeling a lot better when she left to go give her parents the bad news and when we met up again for patrol, but she had to call that off because her back was killing her."

"Yeah, I remember you saying but Kat's boobs aren't all that big." Sophia responded with a shrug and Marco shook his head.

"It's complicated, now can you go get me some headache pills or would you rather watch your older brother get dressed?" Marco asked, and Sophia wasted no time in heading downstairs whilst making sure to close the door behind her, Marco started searching for clothes but was interrupted by Kat's message which he read. _"Kat can't catch a break, first she's fired from the Avengers Internship and now she's back in hospital? I hope she's okay."_

*a bit later*

Kat and her parents had just been called to Dr. Koboyashi's office and had entered the Doctor's room, the Japanese doctor was going over the notes from the last appointment as the family entered and Dr. Koboyashi looked up.

"Didn't think I was going to see you so soon Katrina." Dr. Koboyashi commented as he turned to the teenager. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I think it's better if Kat shows you." Howard responded before motioning to Kat, Kat took off her trench coat before taking a deep breath.

"Extract." Kat said quietly and almost like clockwork the wings spread out, as the office was smaller than Kat's room it was suddenly very cramped with the wings out which Kat quickly noticed. "Retract." Kat added, and the wings retreated to her side almost as quickly. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"I'm not sure if I follow." Dr. Koboyashi responded as he looked at the wings closely. "From what I can see, this is the final stage of your evolution."

"That's just the problem." Howard chimed in and the doctor turned to him. "Kat's had an interest in athletics since she was a little girl, in fact she was planning to train for the Olympics when she went to college but something like this could put a halt to those aspirations."

"Yeah, wouldn't really be a level playing field when I can call these out and it's like I said to my dad." Kat nodded in agreement as she glanced at her wings. "I can only claim that I've had tattoo work done for so long before I get busted, is there any way to remove them?"

"It is possible, but I need to check your MRI scans from the other day." Dr. Koboyashi responded before reaching into a draw and checking the scans. "How does your back feel?"

"Stronger than ever to be honest." Kat responded and Koboyashi nodded.

"I had a similar patient come to me with the same issue, like you he was an athlete, but the mutation made it impossible for him to pursue his dreams." Dr. Koboyashi responded before sighing. "And I'm afraid its not good news, with that previous patient I consulted with one of the surgeons for his opinion and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told that young man." Dr. Koboyashi responded before taking a deep breath.

"If it's bad news, I'm ready for it." Kat sighed as she folded her arms. "It's not like I haven't had enough of that recently.

"There is a surgery that can be performed but it has a one percent chance of success, and a ninety nine percent chance of leaving the mutant in question paralyzed for the rest of their lives, the surgeon refused to do it on the grounds that the risks were too great, and I can guarantee you that you won't find another reputable surgeon in this country who would and besides, that athlete was in his mid-forties when his powers started to mutate, your eighteen years old and still have the rest of your life ahead of you, I wouldn't wish that on someone your age." Dr. Koboyashi explained and Kat was silent for the longest time as the doctor's words set in.

"So, I'm stuck with them?" Kat asked and Dr. Koboyashi nodded and sensing how upset her daughter was Lin put a hand on Kat's shoulder.

"You still have the rest of your life ahead of you Katrina, just because one door closed doesn't mean there won't be other opportunities." Lin assured her, and Kat nodded in response. "Besides, it's not like you'll get fat, what with all the Superhero work you do."

"Yeah, I guess." Kat sighed as she glanced at her wings again. _"My costume is going to have to be adapted for my wings, but would Captain America even do that for me? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask."_

"Well, thank you for your help Doctor, may not have been what Kat wanted to hear but at least we got answers." Howard thanked Dr. Koboyashi before they stood up and left the doctor's office.

*later, at Kat's home*

Since she got home Kat had spent most of her time in her room only coming out occasionally when she was hungry or thirsty.

" _Hopefully this works."_ Kat thought as she sat in front of her laptop and waited the Skype call to go through. _"We set up this Skype group over the weekend, before my major fuckup screwed everything up for me."_ Kat thought before Captain America appeared on screen. "Hi Cap."

"Katrina, I thought you were removed from this group chat?" Captain America responded, and Kat frowned. "If your calling to try to get back in the internship its going to take a lot more than your sincerest pleas."

"If I was under the impression that it was going to be that easy, I would've tried that already." Kat sighed in response and Captain America nodded when he realized that she had a point. "Long story short, my costume needs adapting."

"Adapting?" Captain America asked with a raised eyebrow. "Hold on, Iron Man and She-Hulk are coming on."

" _Oh, great!"_ Kat groaned as the other two heroes appeared in the vid chat. "Hi guys, just explaining to Cap how my costume needs adapting."

"And we should humor you, why?" Iron Man asked with a frown. "Do I really need to reiterate what I said during the meeting?"

"Do you want to see an eighteen-year-old cry on camera?" Kat asked, and Irion Man went to respond but couldn't find the words.

"Point taken." Iron Man responded before sighing. "Look Kat, Marco told us about the state he found you in and I'm sorry that you took the firing as hard as you did, but it needed to be said."

"Yeah, I know, didn't soften the emotional blow however." Kat responded as she shook her head. "Look, we can go back and forth on this, or I can just show you what I'm talking about, your choice."

"I think we should hear her out." She-Hulk responded, and the two men nodded with some hesitation. "It's probably something minor anyway."

" _If only it was that simple."_ Kat thought before setting her video screen to full to get the point across. "Extract." Kat sighed, and the three older heroes sat in silence as the wings came out with the wide screen allowing her to show just how wide they were. "Retract." Kat added, and the wings folded up. "They sprouted overnight, and I got a rude wake-up call when I saw them in my mirror."

"Is that what was causing your back pain?" Iron Man asked, and Kat nodded. "Yeash, no wonder you were popping pain killers like it was going out of style."

"I haven't tried wearing the Dragon Girl costume with the wings out but since the top is essentially a cropped sweater I'm just going to assume that I'm going to be leaving some holes in it by the end of the week." Kat commented before sighing. "Now do you see why I need my costume adapted?"

"Cap, we shouldn't humor her, we booted her for a reason." Iron Man said, and Kat frowned. "What kind of message will this send to Marco or any future recruits?"

"Cap, you said that if I needed your help that I shouldn't hesitate to call on you." Kat argued as she turned to Captain America. "I get that you likely meant for Superhero battles but if I go out in a tattered top because of these damn things I'll be the laughing stock of the Superhero community and the subject of so much porn fan art on the internet that it's not even funny."

"Kat's right, and besides even if we don't grant her request, we'd have to replace her top eventually for the reasons she's mentioned." She-Hulk chimed in and Iron Man's frown deepened. "It's two to one Iron Man and I don't think Cap's taking your side this time."

"And your right there because she's right, and as for your question Iron Man, it sends the message that just because a young hero gets dropped doesn't mean they should be afraid to call for help." Captain America responded, and Kat grinned whilst Iron Man hung his head in defeat. "Since it's only your top that needs to be changed, it shouldn't take too long, I'll have Marco bring the new top to you when you go out on patrol with him but seriously, next time just have Marco pass on a message to us because once this Skype call ends I'm removing you from the group."

"Fine, to be honest I was surprised that I was still in this group." Kat admitted before the other heroes hung up and sure enough once the call ended Kat was removed from the group. _"That went a lot better than I thought it would, still I need to clear my head and going out on patrol wouldn't hurt."_ Kat thought before she grabbed her costume and started putting it on. _"If my new top is a tank-top then I should stop getting changed on the roof, dad would have a heart attack if he saw me walking around outside only wearing my bra for a top, Marco on the other hand would be causing a large puddle from all the drool coming out of his mouth."_ Kat thought with a frown as she started putting the costume on.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on at Kat's home a set-up of a different kind was happening across town.

"Remember Crossbow, you are to oversea this meeting with one of my rivals." Julius Drexo said into the earpiece that belonged to Crossbow, a mercenary who used archaic weapons, as he sat atop a rooftop overlooking an alleyway, the only other person on the rooftop was a maintenance worker for the building who Crossbow had dismissed as not being a threat. "As soon as he gets out of line, make an example out of one of his men."

"Easy work but at least the pay's good." Crossbow scoffed as he kept his crossbow trained on the alley below. "Your rival's waiting for you Drexo, just give the word and he won't be a problem." Crossbow added not realizing that the maintenance worker was approaching him from behind.

"Don't get overconfident, they'll be expecting an ambush off some kind and…..." Julius's voice was cut off when a single gunshot rang out going straight through Crossbow's back and sending the gangsters bellow fleeing. "Crossbow? Crossbow, do you hear me?"

"Justice is served, Crossbow." The maintenance worker said to the dead mercenary before picking up the earpiece. "And Drexo? Your days are numbered."

*a bit later*

Kat had been flying around the city for a good half hour now and was mostly spending her time getting a feel for her wings as she flew through the sky.

" _Well, my flying speed's a lot faster than it was before these things sprouted."_ Kat thought as she glanced over at the wings. _"And it was already really fast before, at least I won't have to worry about being late for school once the repairs are done."_ Kat thought before she spotted something in the alley bellow her.

"Oh, don't worry sweet-heart!" One of the two men in the alley commented as they cornered a terrified young woman in a dead-end alley. "We'll be gentle."

" _Yeah, right, that's the same thing those thugs told me before they tried to gang rape me last week."_ Kat thought before she started to descend. "Retract." Kat whispered as to not give away her position and the wings folded to her sides as she entered the alley.

"No, stay back!" The woman pleaded before she reached for a can off pepper spray that she had been keeping in her handbag, but the other thug knocked it out of her hand before she could use it on either thug.

"Hey, didn't your mothers tell you that no means no?" Kat yelled out at the two thugs who promptly spun around and saw Kat standing behind them.

"It's Dragon Girl, get her!" The thug who hadn't spoken up yet before the two thugs charged at her before Kat took off towards them.

" _You'd have thought the common criminals in this city would have learned by now."_ Kat thought as she flew down the alley towards the thugs. _"But I guess the regular criminals are all masochists or something, anyway it shouldn't be too hard to extract her once…no! No!"_ Kat thought but it was to late as the wings unfolded greatly increasing her flying speed in the process.

"What the…." Was all the thug closest to Kat was able to blurt out before Kat decked him in the jaw sending him flying and knocking him out, she turned to the remaining thug who gulped before running down the alley straight past Kat and out the alley.

" _Pretty sure I just scared the shit out of him, so I shouldn't have to worry about him."_ Kat thought before turning to the terrified woman and realizing that they were the same age. "Hey, are you…..."

"Get away from me, you monster!" The terrified woman responded, and Kat blinked before glancing at her wings.

" _I guess I didn't think about how villainous my wings look."_ Kat thought before turning to the woman. "Hey, I'm no monster, it's me, Dragon Girl, you know, latest young female Superhero on the…..."

"I SAID GET AWAY!" The woman snapped at her before running straight past Kat and out the alley leaving Kat stunned.

" _I'd better meet up with Marco."_ Kat thought as she started to take flight. _"We agreed to meet in Central Park, shouldn't take me too long to get there."_ Kat thought before flying off.

*twenty minutes later*

Kat had arrived in Central Park well in advance and without even realizing it she had landed in the same place that she and Marco had previously tested their powers, she landed on the branch and sighed as she glanced at her wings.

" _When I first got my powers, I thought I'd be using them for good."_ Kat thought as she looked at her wings before shaking her head. "Retract." Kat whispered before the wings folded close to her body. _"But what's the point if these things make me look like a Supervillain? It won't matter if I manage to defeat a major Supervillain who's taken hostages at Time's Square because I'll be condemned by public opinion because of these damn wings!"_ Kat thought before punching the tree in frustration causing a dent in it. _"Still better than being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life though."_

"One Special Delivery for the best looking Chinese American Superhero in New York coming up!" Marco's voice rang out and Kat looked up seeing her friend below her in the Mental Boy costume carrying a box. "And judging by the fact that you just punched a tree, I'm guessing this is a bad time?"

"No, I'm just frustrated." Kat responded as she shook her head before hopping off the tree branch and landing next to her friend. "Did Captain America tell you why I requested the costume modification?" Kat asked, and Marco shook his head.

"All he told me was that it was better if I saw it in person, I haven't even seen your new top." Marco responded, and Kat nodded. "So, you want to show me what's changed?"

"Promise me you won't freak out?" Kat asked, and Marco blinked under his helmet.

"Why would I freak out? After everything that's happened this past week nothing could surprise me." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat sighed.

"Extract." Kat whispered and even though she couldn't she his face because of the helmet Marco's body language said it all. "You want to talk without the masks? I don't think there's any park attendants around."

"Sure." Marco nodded in response before removing his helmet and Kat did likewise with her mask, sure enough Marco's facial expression was one of surprise and shock. "Now it all makes sense, the back pain, why you went to the hospital this morning, your increased aggression…..."

"Marco, if these things were affecting my aggression don't you think I would've beaten the crap out of a thug earlier than I did?" Kat pointed out and Marco went to respond but couldn't find the words. "Thought so, I've already tested out these things in combat."

"How did it go?" Marco asked, and Kat sighed in annoyance. "Not well?"

"As I was flying over to the meeting point I stumbled upon an attempted rape in progress." Kat responded as she leaned against the tree. "One of the thugs basically told their would-be victim the same thing I was told when those thugs tried to gang rape me last week, I intervened but as I was flying towards the thugs I accidentally activated my wings." Kat added before sighing again. "I knocked out one thug and sent the other one fleeing but, in the process, I scared the crap out of their victim."

"Because your wings look like a demon's wings?" Marco asked, and Kat gave him an annoyed glare. "Yeah, that could've been worded better, so how have you been feeling? I know you've already had a rough week because you were kicked out of the internship."

"It's making me question my worth as a hero for one thing." Kat responded before sighing as she folded her arms. "I mean, look at me! Dark red costume, crimson and black wings? I look more like a Supervillain than a Superhero!"

"And that was never an issue before you got those wings." Marco pointed out and Kat nodded in response. "Hell, if anything you look even hotter with the wings out."

"Thanks, I think." Kat responded with an unsure look on her face. "You've got my new top right? Can I at least try it on?" Kat asked, and Marco handed her the box before she went behind the tree. "You can watch if you want, I'm just wearing my day clothes under my Dragon Girl outfit anyway."

"Well, it should hopefully fit, I mean they still have your measurements." Marco responded as Kat removed her Dragon Girl top revealing the same tank top she worse to the hospital and Marco went behind the tree with her.

"Wow, this is bigger than I thought it would be." Kat commented as she looked at the new top before she started putting it on, it was the same style top as her first Dragon Girl top but with one major difference, extra material that would allow her wings to fit and made them look like angels' wings. "Bit tight around the back but I can I can ride it out."

"Want me to grab onto something and help out?" Marco responded as he motioned to the material around the wing. "Wow, this is tight." Marco commented as he felt the wings.

"Hey, whatever you kids are doing back there, break it up!" A park attendant's voice rang out and the two teens blushed furiously as they realized what it sounded like. "This is a public park! Save that for the bedroom!"

"Spoilsport!" Kat called out by the time she did the park attendant was long gone. "Let us never speak of this again!"

"Hey, at least we didn't get busted by another hero." Marco responded with a grin before thinking of something. "You can make those things hug your body, right? I mean they were when I arrived."

"Yeah, why?" Kat asked before realizing what he meant. "You want to see if it'll be easier to cover up the wings that way? Or is this just an excuse to feel me up?"

"Trust me, if I had that in mind you probably would've kicked me in the balls by now." Marco assured her, and Kat grinned accepting his response. "Just saying, it might be worth a try and if you'd feel more comfortable trying it yourself, I won't mind."

"I guess so." Kat nodded before taking a deep breath. "Retract." Kat whispered, and the wings hugged close to her body, as they did the last piece of material snapped into place on both wings completely covering them. "So, how do I look?" Kat asked as she gave herself a twirl.

"You look great." Marco responded with a grin before sighing. "So, err, I know we keep getting interrupted every time we try but you want to cement us being more than just friends?"

"You just know that the moment we lock lips is the moment a Supervillain goes on a rampage, right?" Kat joked before shaking her head. "Marco, I…" Kat trailed off before sighing sadly. "How are we even sure this is going to work? Back when you confessed your love for me, I still looked like an average Asian American teenager, but now? I look like an Asian American teenager with wings." Kat added as she turned away from Marco. "Truth is? I had been meaning to spit it out for a long time as well, but my main concern was our families, you're of Italian heritage and as I said, I'm first generation Asian American, how is this supposed to work?"

"My dad wasn't sure how he was going to handle raising two kids on his own after mom passed away either." Marco admitted with a sad sigh. "But he worked his ass off to make sure that we had a good upbringing and if he can make a situation like that work, what's to stop us?"

"Our different cultures, that was my main concern with my parents." Kat responded as she glanced over at Marco. "And that was before I got my wings, how do we know that your dad won't freak out?"

"He didn't freak out when I admitted to me being a mutant, I mean I'm sure the last thing he'll expect is you showing up to the house with wings, but he should be okay." Marco added before grinning. "And Sophia's going to be making Red Bull jokes until the cows come home but that's beside the point, Kat you are beautiful, I'm not going to deny that, but I fell in love with you for who you are, not because of your looks."

"Though you'd be lying if you said that they weren't a deciding factor, right?" Kat asked with a grin and Marco laughed.

"I'm not commenting on that." Marco responded before placing a hand on Kat's shoulder. "Besides that, everyone we know already thinks we're a couple, I don't know about you but I'm getting sick of telling everyone that we're just friends." Marco added, and Kat looked at the ground for a second. "If you need some time…..." Marco never finished his sentence as Kat turned around and locked hips with him, the kiss continued for several minutes before they broke it up. "Not a cover up this time, right?"

"No cover up." Kat grinned before kissing him again, however just as it got heated the two teens heard a fire engine nearby and looked up in time to see it speed by. "I didn't think our make out session got that hot, did it?"

"Well, whatever it is, we should check it out." Marco responded, and Kat nodded in agreement before they put their masks back on and flew off after the fire truck.

*a bit later*

"Oh jeez, that's a big fire." Kat commented as they approached the fire truck's destination, a high-rise building was engulfed in flames and the firefighters were doing everything in their power to put it out as the residents watched on from the side. "Maybe we should leave them too it?"

"You don't understand! My children are up there!" A hysterical mother's voice rang out and the two teens looked up to see the clearly worried mother pointing to the top floor of the building. "They are going to die if they don't get out of there!"

"Lady, our ladders don't go up that high and short of a Superhero showing up, I don't see how we can save your kids." The fire captain responded as his men continued to fight the blaze and Kat and Marco shared a look. "We'll retrieve their bodies after the fire has been dealt with, that's the best we can do!"

"You are talking about children here! The oldest among them is five years old for God's Sake!" The woman responded at which point Kat and Marco touched down next to them. "Oh, thank god, a Superhero is here! Maybe you can talk some sense into him!"

"I'm going to tell you kids the same thing I told her, our ladders only go up as high as the 37th floor and her children are stuck on the 80th floor." The captain responded, and Kat frowned. "I have men searching the lower floors for anyone who's trapped in there but there's no way that they can reach the top floor in time."

"Ma'am, how many kids do you have up there?" Kat asked as she turned to the mother.

"Five, three girls and two boys." The woman responded after she took a deep breath. "You can get up there, right Dragon Girl? I've seen you fly on the news!"

"It's not safe up there, the fire was started on the top floor and it progressed downward." The captain responded, and Kat frowned. "Even then, there's no way you can get up there…."

"There is one way." Kat responded before glancing at her wings. "Extract!" Kat commanded and to everyone's surprise the wings unfolded. "Long story but my flying speed is a lot faster with these things out!"

"If you think you can get up there in time, then by all means, try." The captain responded, and Kat nodded. "Just be ready to sign an autograph when you come back, my daughter's a big fan of yours."

"Don't worry, I've got this." Kat assured him before she took off towards the top floor.

*meanwhile*

"Howard, have you seen Kat?" Lin's voice called out as Howard was channel surfing. "I had hoped that she would help me on the line tonight, but she wasn't in her room."

"She's probably gone out on patrol with Marco, if you need my help I'll be happy to give it." Howard responded before he changed the channel to the evening news.

"I am here live at the scene of a tremendous fire that has completely engulfed the high rise behind me." The news reporter said as she motioned to the building. "Fire fighters are fighting diligently to put out the flames, but hope has arrived for one resident as the Superhero known as Dragon Girl has flown up to save her children."

" _Oh my god."_ Howard thought with dread as the camera showed Kat flying up to the top of the building. "Lin, did you see Kat's phone in her room?"

"Yes, why?" Lin asked as she entered the living room with a glass that she was washing in hand, when she saw what Kat was doing however she dropped the glass in shock. "What is she doing? She's going to get herself killed!"

"She's trying to be a hero, like her old man." Howard responded as it dawned on him. _"Kat, please be safe!"_

*back at the fire*

" _Probably should've counted the floors before I took off."_ Kat thought as she flew threw the air, even with the increased flight speed granted to her by her wings it had still been at least ten minutes before she reached the open window that the hysterical mother had pointed her towards. _"Just remember Kat, don't breathe fire, you'll only make the situation worse!"_ Kat thought as she entered the burning building whilst using her hand to cover her mouth. _"An apartment number would've helped as well in hindsight, that said, it looks like I'm in an apartment so that narrows things down."_ Kat thought before coughing. "Kids are you in here?" Kat called out as she made her way through the flames.

"Help us!" A young sounding male voice came from behind the wall to her left and she grinned.

" _Thank god they're okay!"_ Kat thought before running out of the room she was in and into the hallway, once she identified the door she was looking for she kicked it down with all her strength and looked around the room. _"I can't see them, they're probably hiding somewhere."_ Kat thought before calling out again., "Kids, if you can hear me make as much noise as you can!" Kat called out and a series of shouts came from behind a wardrobe at the approximate point where she originally heard the voices and she opened the wardrobe revealing the five kids as described by their mother. "It's okay, I'm here! I'll get you to safety, all right?"

"Are you an angel?" The second youngest of the five children (as the youngest was clearly too young to know how to speak yet) asked and Kat turned to her. "I told them an angel would come!"

"Yeah. I'm an angel." Kat responded once the initial surprise wore off. "We can't stay here, those who can walk get onto my back, I'll carry the youngest, just think of this as the most epic piggy back ride ever!" Kat told the kids and the four oldest did so with the two boys holding onto her shoulders and two of the girls grabbed onto her wings. "Hold on tight, especially those on my wings, you ever been on a roller-coaster ride?"

"Mom says we're too young for them." One of the boys responded and Kay sighed as she picked up the youngest.

"Consider this a free preview, courtesy of Dragon Girl." Kat responded with a grin before she flew towards the window, however she barely ducked in time as two gunshots impacted the window and she glanced up. "Ugh, what now?!"

"Ride's over Dragon Girl!" A fireman, a Scourge of the Underworld agent, said as he pointed a gun at her. "When you saved Chemistro, you became little more than a criminal."

"I don't know if you noticed but we're in a burning fu…..." Kat caught herself mid-sentence once she realized that was about to swear around children. "A burning building and I'm trying to save children! I don't know these kids but I'm pretty sure that none of them have committed a crime!"

"I don't care, orders are orders." The Scourge responded, and Kat frowned.

"Kids let go off me and cover your eyes." Kat told them, and the kids nodded before doing so and Kat set down the youngest gently. "Last chance, either leave me alone, or your coming down with me!"

"I don't care…" The Scourge agent went to respond only for Kat to fly across and deck him knocking him out in one hit.

" _I hope to god that's Shaun Gibson under that disguise."_ Kat thought before picking up the unconscious Scourge agent and turning to the kids. "You can look now." Kat told them as she ran over and the kids climbed back on her before she picked the youngest back up with her free hand and opened the window. _"Five kids and one full grown adult, yep, this will test my strength!"_ Kat thought before turning to the kids. "Hold on as tight as you can!"

*meanwhile back on the ground*

"Marco!" Marco looked up and saw Jenny running up in her police uniform. "Please, tell me that wasn't Kat I saw enter the building on the evening news!"

"It was." Marco responded with a nod. "There's five kids up there and Kat volunteered to save them, I know you've probably got some questions regarding her wings but…." Marco never finished his sentence as a loud explosion erupted from the top floor and his face dropped. "No, no! This can't be happening!"

"We are reporting live from the scene of the high-rise fire!" The reporter yelled out over the panicked screams of the onlookers. "Just moments ago, the young Superhero known as Dragon Girl entered the top floor to save some children, but it appears that this heroic action has cost Dragon Girl her life!"

*back at Kat's home*

"No, no!" Lin sobbed into her husband's shoulder as Howard watched the TV in shock and disbelief. "Not Katrina, not my little angel!"

" _Please god, watch over my daughter and let her escape with her life."_ Howard prayed as he watched the action on screen with baited breath.

"This is Susan Daniels, reporting for…wait, what's that?!" The female reporter stopped herself mid-sentence as she spotted something flying out of the top floor. "Tom, zoom in on that, quickly!" Susan added, and Lin looked up as the camera zoomed confirming that Kat had made it out in time with the kids and the firefighter in one piece and was flying down to the ground. "She made it! Dragon Girl is safe!"

"Oh, thank god." Lin said as she took several deep breaths whilst clutching her chest whilst Howard was equally relieved.

*back at the scene*

"Let's do that again!" One of the boys called out as he flew on Kat's back and Kat shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'd rather only be that close to dying once in my life." Kat responded as she started to reach ground level. _"I've done this several times without the extra weight, how hard can it be?"_ Kat thought before toughing down on the concreate bellow the flaming high rise, she skidded to a halt in front of the press and knelt down to let the children off easily.

"My babies!" The mother cried out as she ran up to her children and Kat grinned broadly upon seeing the happy reunion before handing the youngest over to the mother. "Thank you, Dragon Girl, I thought they were dead."

"We all did." The fire captain said as he walked up to Kat and patted her on the back. "And thank you for saving one of my men, I don't remember any of them being that high up however."

"Because he's not one of your men." Kat responded as she sat down the firefighter gently. "He's a Scourge of the Underworld agent, he tried to shoot me up there even though I had the kids on my back." Kat added before standing up straight. "So, you said something about an autograph?"

"I think your boyfriend wants to chat with you first." The fire captain responded before the police ran up to arrest the Scourge agent having heard what Kat said, Kat looked up just in time for Marco to grab her in a running hug.

"Kat don't do that to me again, please!" Marco said as tears of joy ran down his face. "I think I aged about thirty years when I saw the explosion, and I'm sure your parents feel the same."

"Yeah, I bet…. oh shit!" Kat cussed once she saw that the kids were out of earshot. "I completely forgot!"

"You didn't tell them you were heading out?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "Did you at least remember your phone?" Marco asked, and Kat shook her head after checking her pockets "Well, let's hope they were watching the news, it would save you the trouble of explaining why you're a little extra crispy."

"Funny you should say that." Jenny responded as she came up to them. "Phone call for you Kat, and yes it's from your dad."

" _Oh great!"_ Kat thought as Marco pulled away from the hug and Kat took the phone. "Hi dad." Kat sighed knowing she was about to get an earful.

"Kat, as soon as you are done with the press you are coming home now!" Howard's voice rang out and Kat winced at his tone. "You snuck out without telling us and had us worried half to death when you entered that building, as soon as you get home you are grounded!"

"Grounded?!" Kat echoed as her jaw dropped. "But I just saved lives dad!"

"Yes, and you nearly cost you your own, we'll talk about this when you get back." Howard responded before hanging up and Kat winced.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him." Jenny assured Kat and Kat grinned. "By the way, those wings look good on you."

"Yeah, kinda a long story about how I got them though." Kat responded with a sigh and Jenny shook her head.

"Mutant powers evolved?" Jenny asked, and Kat nodded. "My dad went through the same thing, had to give up his athletics career but he was close to retiring anyway."

"Yeah, the doctor I saw said something about that." Kat responded before she heard the press calling her name and sighed. "First time giving an interview in front of the press, how hard can it be?"

"Let me put it this way Kat, there's a reason why most officers prefer to leave the announcements to the chief when it comes to high profile cases." Jenny responded, and Kat sighed in annoyance. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead."

" _Easy for you to say."_ Kat thought before going over to the press to answer their questions.

*an hour later*

The mini press conference had taken a lot longer than Kat had expected even after she had gotten the questions about her wings out the way early but by now Kat was flying home alongside Marco.

"So, your stuck with those things?" Marco asked as he motioned to the wings which were currently hugging Kat's side so that Marco could keep up with her.

"There is surgery available, but if it goes wrong I'll be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life." Kat responded as she turned to her boyfriend. "A 99% chance at that, the head surgeon at the hospital considers it to be to big a risk and Dr. Koboyashi said that there wasn't a reputable surgeon in the country who would perform the operation." Kat explained before sighing. "In other words, I can kiss my dreams of winning gold at the Olympics goodbye."

"Yeah but it's not like you're not living out another dream of yours." Marco responded as he motioned to her. "I mean, you've wanted to be a Superhero since you were eight years old and ten years later here you are, saving kids from a burning building."

"And worrying my parents half to death." Kat responded with another sigh as they neared her house. "Would've appreciated your help back there by the way."

"You know this thing only has so much fuel, might talk to Cap about getting it upgraded now that I mention it." Marco added before sighing. "Oh yeah, whilst you were busy with the press Captain America called me to tell you that he's proud of your bravery."

"There's a but, isn't there?" Kat responded with an annoyed look as she stopped just above her house and Marco nodded.

"It wasn't enough to get you back on the internship, but it did go a long way to mending how the older heroes view you, Iron Man especially." Marco responded, and Kat sighed in annoyance. "I think it's all about baby steps for now, you'll get back on the internship eventually, but you'll just have to work hard at it."

"And if I hadn't fucked up so royally we wouldn't be having this conversation." Kat responded with a frown on her face as she glanced towards the side alley where she effectively ended her internship. "Well, this is my stop." Kat added before removing her mask. "Mind removing your helmet for a sec?"

"Yeah, sure." Marco responded before removing his helmet. "What's up…..." Marco trailed off as Kat jumped on the glider and kissed her new boyfriend, it lasted about ten seconds before Kat broke it off and hopped off the glider. "We're going to have to make it so that our private time together lasts more than ten seconds."

"And there are so many dirty jokes I could make about that sentence that I don't even know where to start." Kat responded with a laugh and Marco grinned sheepishly. "I'd better go face the music." Kat sighed as she glanced at the open window to her room which had been how she had left earlier. "Don't know if they'll allow me out of the house to join you on patrol but I'll keep you posted."

"No worries." Marco responded before he put his helmet back on. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you." Kat responded as she watched her boyfriend glide off, once she was out of sight Kat lowered herself towards the open window before climbing in. _"Light's still off like it was earlier, maybe I can avoid an awkward conversation for the…."_ Kat's thoughts trailed off as the lights came on and she saw her parents in her room. _"Or not."_

"Kat, you know the rules, you have to tell us if your heading out, and if you do head out take your phone encase there's an emergency at home." Howard said sternly, and Kat lowered her head as she put the mask next to her laptop. "And we thought you were dead for a minute there!"

"I got out of the building seconds before the explosion hit." Kat responded as she rubbed her ears. "Even if I had my phone on me, I couldn't even hear anything for a few seconds because of how loud the explosion was."

"Look Kat, I know you want to prove yourself as a hero, but you need to be honest with us, as I said over the phone you are grounded for the rest of the week." Howard added, and Kat nodded. "I'll allow you two hours of patrol per night and that's it, if you run into a Supervillain and it looks like the fight will take longer call me at the earliest convenience and I'll allow a little leeway but that's it." Howard added before sighing. "I was originally just going to bar you from going out on Patrol, but Jenny talked me out of it, considering the fact that you saved lives back there it's the least I can do."

"Would it help if I mentioned that I captured a Scourge agent?" Kat asked, and Howard raised an eyebrow. "The firefighter I rescued? He tried to shoot me whilst I had those kids on my back, said that I was no better than a criminal for saving Chemistro's life the other day, but he missed and is now in custody."

"I'll think about it." Howard responded before leaving the room, Kat sighed in annoyance as she sat on the bed and her mother joined her.

"Kat, your fathers just concerned for your safety." Lin assured her, and Kat glanced up at her mother. "And so am I, you did a great thing by saving those children and don't you forget it."

"I know mom." Kat said before glancing at her wings. "And if it weren't for these wings there would've been no way I could've gotten to the top floor on that high rise in time, so I guess they aren't to bad." Kat added before grinning a bit. "One of the kids I saved called me an angel when she saw my wings, immediately made me think of your nickname for me growing up so I told her that yeah, I am an angel." Kat added before sighing. "Too bad Angel's already taken as a Superhero name."

"That may be but your still an angel, to me and that little girl." Lin responded as she hugged her daughter. "And I thought I lost my little angel when I saw that explosion, I know there are risks involved with what you do but please, don't scare me like that again."

"I won't, and I'm sorry I scared you." Kat responded with a nod as Lin pulled away from the hug. "Any chance you could talk to dad about letting me off easy?"

"I was the one who suggested grounding you Kat." Lin said as she stood up and Kat sighed in resignation. "And as Howard already said, we are being lenient with you, besides it'll be over before you know it."

"I hope so." Kat responded before Lin left the room. _"Eighteen years old and I'm still being grounded, at least it won't be too long before I can go out whenever I want again."_ Kat thought before reaching over and grabbing her iPhone. _"Better check what messages I missed whilst I was out."_ Kat thought as she accessed her phone.

*meanwhile*

As it turned out, the fire at the high rise wasn't an accident as it was caused by the master arsonist/Supervillain known as Blowtorch and like the last time he was in the spotlight he had been paid to do it by a third party.

"That high rise went up in flames, just as you asked." The villain said as he entered an alleyway where his employer waited for him. "Unfortunately, your associate failed to kill Dragon Girl and got captured."

"Don't worry about him, he's so far down the totem pole that my boss won't even bother to break him out." The figure said before he stepped out of the shadows revealing himself to be Shaun Gibson. "Now then, you want your payment, right?"

"That's why I'm here." Blowtorch responded with a nod as Shaun reached into his pocket. "You gave me five hundred dollars up front and promised me the other half once the job was complete, a deals a deal!"

"Now here's the thing Blowtorch, I lied, I gave you all the money I had." Shaun responded as he grinned broadly. "Here's another fact for you, you want to know how I know how I know my associate?" Shaun asked before pulling a shotgun out. "We are the Scourge of all criminals and your next on my hitlist!"

"Wait…." Blowtorch pled but it was too late as Shaun shot him through the head (to avoid the fuel tank for his flamethrower) killing him instantly as the arsonist fell over dead.

"Justice is served, Blowtorch." Shaun commented before picking up the money he had paid the villain and fleeing the scene.


	11. Wings of a Dragon

That night at the Xavier School for Gifted Mutants things were pretty much business as usual for the home of the X-Men as Professor X accessed Cerebro.

"Any sign of the mutants we detected last week?" Jean Gray asked as she watch the professor scan the area with the helmet. "I know we were busy since then, but they must've resurfaced by now."

"There's actually been a few sightings of the two of them, they've been busy." Professor X responded as he removed his helmet and turned to Jean Gray. "Both out of costume and in their new identities as Mental Boy and Dragon Girl, real names Marco Gordano and Katrina Sheng Leo respectively."

"The kids from the hostage situation at Mid-Town High." Jean nodded in response once she recognized the names. "Which means Captain America beat us to them."

"Not quite, it appears that Katrina was dropped from the internship." Professor X responded with a frown before turning his wheelchair around. "Have Colossus, Beast and Havoc pay them a visit at the earliest convenience, I have an offer for them." Professor X added and Jean nodded before walking off.

*the next day*

It had been a day since the fire at the high rise and the fire itself had been put out long before, thankfully the flames hadn't spread to the other buildings nearby nor had they claimed any lives thanks in no part to Katrina's efforts.

That didn't mean that the NYPD wasn't busy.

"So, you've disguised yourself as one of Squid's Henchmen, a Bank Teller, a Maintenance Worker and as of last night a fireman." Reynolds said as he paced around the interrogation room across from the Scourge of the Underworld agent that Kat had captured, a young man in his early twenties with medium length black hair and blue eyes who had several tattoos and piercings on him. "You have pretty lofty aspirations, don't you Jason?"

"I already told you, I'm not saying anything until my lawyer gets here." Jason responded as he folded his arms with a scoff. "So, I'll just go back to my cell and enjoy the free hospitality, not to mention the free healthcare for my jaw after Dragon Girl knocked me out."

"You really think a lawyer will make a difference?" Reynolds asked as he leaned forward. "The Squid, Commanda, Crossbow, that's three counts of murder one right there and more than enough to put you away for life without parole but here's what I don't understand, you tried to kill Dragon Girl, a hero, as she was carrying several young children to safety, in fact if she hadn't carried your sorry ass out of that high rise CSU would be picking up chunks of you off the ground and yet your not sorry that you tried to kill a hero?"

"What kind of hero saves a criminal like Chemistro?" Jason asserted as he stood up. "Dragon Girl may smile for the cameras but as far as my boss is concerned she's no better than the criminals I've killed and the ones my associates have killed." Jason added before grinning as he sat back down. "If you think these so called heroes are a benefit to society then you are as foolish as she is, the heroes think that they can reform their villains, give them a second chance, you'd have thought they'd have learned after the fiftieth time someone like the Shocker has escaped for jail but no, they continue to fail to see that the only remedy for the criminal element is death!"

"Well, in my book, killing those Supervillains makes you a criminal." Reynolds responded as he stood up. "You're going to be really popular in prison, little pretty boy like you, but if you testify against your fellow Scourge agents then maybe, just maybe, you'll get a reduced sentence."

"I don't have anything more to say to you, I want my lawyer, now!" Jason responded, and Reynolds frowned as he stood up.

"Detective." The captain said as he entered the interrogation room alongside a bald man with glasses in a nice suit. "This is Jason's attorney."

"This interrogation is over, I need a word with my client." The attorney said simply, and Reynolds frowned before leaving the interrogation room.

"He wouldn't tell on his associates, just kept going on and on about how people like Dragon Girl aren't heroes." Reynolds said as he left the interrogation room with the captain who closed the door behind him. "I don't know about you captain but risking life and limb to save five children and that scumbag? Sounds pretty heroic to me."

"I'm not going to argue with that, her father might but as far as I'm concerned? Kat's a damn hero." The captain nodded in agreement as he approached Reynold's desk. "With any luck, his attorney will persuade him to flip on his associates and we can bring them down. Shaun Gibson's location would be a good start."

"Err, excuse me." A female voice awkwardly spoke up and the two cops turned to see a young, blonde female attorney carrying a briefcase. "I'm Emily Watson, I'm the Public Defense Attorney assigned to Jason Hackman?"

"Wait, what?" Reynolds asked as he did a double take. "But we just saw his attorney and he looks nothing like you."

"I wasn't aware that another lawyer had been sent for him…" Emily trailed off before a loud gunshot came from the interrogation room and the cops jumped to their feet.

"Stay here, it's not safe!" Reynolds told Emily who readily nodded in agreement as Reynolds drew his gun and approached the interrogation room, however by the time he got there Jason was dead from a single gunshot wound to the head with the "attorney" holding the smoking gun. "Put the gun down now!" Reynolds shouted at the attorney who turned to him.

"Justice is served." The attorney said simply before pointing his own gun to his head. "Scourge!" The attorney added and before Reynolds could respond he pulled the trigger blowing his brains out as he fell dead at the African American cop's feet.

*meanwhile*

" _Seriously dad, I sneak out without telling you once and you ground me for the rest of the week?"_ Kat thought as she sat on the edge of her bed, sleeping with her wings folded had taken some getting used to but she had managed to get a decent night's sleep all things considered. _"Okay yeah, I scared them half to death when I flew into that burning building last night, but I was trying to save lives! At least the weekend's starting tomorrow so it should go by quickly."_ Kat thought before she heard knocking at her window and looked up seeing Marco at her window in the Mental Boy costume, shaking her head Kat stood up and opened the window. "You ever heard of texting?"

"You ever heard the phrase "phone is charging"?" Marco asked with a frown and Kat shook her head. "So, what's it like being a big hero whilst being imprisoned?"

"Feels like I'm going to die of boredom." Kat sighed as she leaned forward on the window still whilst playing with her hair. "Hell, I still remember how minor my last grounding was compared to this."

"I never thought you'd consider getting grounded for two weeks because you snuck out to attend a friend's party with me and you ended up drinking so much that by the time your parents arrived you were dancing to Asian Hooker by Steel Panther in your underwear and with a lampshade on your head." Marco responded with a laugh and Kat shook her head. "Then again, the fact that you were fifteen at the time didn't help."

"Yeah and it's not like I had been dancing to that damn song all night, it just so happened to be the song the DJ was playing when my parents arrived." Kat responded before shaking her head. "Let's be honest, you and other guys at that party were lucky that you were underaged as well, pretty sure I don't have to point out why." Kat responded, and Marco nodded with a shudder once he understood what she meant. "It also didn't help that that was my first-time drinking alcohol."

"Which led to that weird wet dream you had." Marco added, and Kat frowned. "Don't worry, I haven't told Cap or Iron Man, if I did I would've texted you afterwards." Marco added, and Kat shook her head. "But your right, this is minor compared to that incident."

"Yep, and dad still made me swear off alcohol until I'm twenty-one because of that incident." Kat responded before sighing. "Mom on the other hand was just mad that I degraded myself by dancing to that disgraceful song, her words, not mine, anyway you didn't just come here to check on me, didn't you?"

"Never could get anything past you." Marco admitted with a nod before frowning. "The Scourge agent you captured last night was killed by another Scourge agent disguised as his attorney."

"You're kidding?" Kat asked, and Marco shook his head. "What about the other Scourge agent?"

"Killed himself before he could get captured, needless to say there's a shitstorm going on at NYPD and your dad's going to be busy for most of the day." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat frowned as she stood up. "So, you want to sneak out?"

"You really want me to get in more trouble with my parents?" Kat asked with a frown on her face. "I know dad's not going to be back home for a few hours but grounding me was mom's idea, the moment she finds out is the moment that my grounding gets extended by a week."

"Like that ever stopped you." Marco responded with a grin and Kat frowned. "I mean, back in Woodstock you would sneak out all the time whether you were grounded or not."

"Yeah but Woodstock's a lot smaller than New York and only has one News Station, I'm still counting the number of news stations that have been covering our misadventures since we got our powers, and do I really need to remind you how quickly we got busted as mutants?" Kat asked with a frown before she heard her mom's footsteps coming up the stairs. "I'll text you later when dad lets me out to do patrol, until then you'd better get out of here before mom comes in."

"Sure, see you later." Marco responded before zooming off on his glider and Kat quickly closed the window before sitting back on her bed just in time for three knocks to ring out.

"I'm decent mom." Kat added, and the door opened.

"Kat were you just talking with Marco?" Lin asked as she entered the room and Kat looked up.

"Yeah, he came by to see how I was doing with this bull…." Kat almost cussed but her mother gave her a disapproving glare. "This grounding, and to tell me about what happened at the police station."

"Yes, I just saw that on the news, your father will likely be working overtime on that case now." Lin nodded in response before she opened the door fully. "But there is someone here to see you." Lin added, and Kat looked up.

"I've heard a lot about you Katrina." The man said as he entered the room, the first thing she picked up on was his Russian accent, the other thing being the fact that he was easily the tallest person in the room towering over her mother and Kat was sure that she didn't come up to the guy's chest either. "Or do you prefer Dragon Girl?"

"Yeah, I get it, I haven't exactly done a good job of hiding my Superhero identity." Kat sighed as she glanced over to her costume which was hanging over the back of the computer chair. "Then again keeping that hidden was a lot easier before I got my wings." Kat added before turning to the man. "Who are you exactly?"

"My apologies." The Russian man apologized before closing his eyes and to Kat's surprise his skin became encased in metal, however Lin didn't seem fazed. "I am Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin, or Peter if you prefer, I am a member of the X-Men."

"Otherwise known as Colossus?" Kat asked as she stood up and walked over to him, whilst the Russian mutant nodded in response she looked him up and down. _"Yep, definitely don't come up to his chest."_ Kat thought before raising an eyebrow. "Surprised you guys didn't come around sooner."

"We had business to deal with." Colossus responded, and Kat nodded accepting his response. "May I see them?"

"You do mean my wings, right?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow and once Colossus nodded Kat complied. "Extract." Kat commanded her wings and sure enough both wings spread out from her body. "Still not used to these things."

"Could've fooled me based on your actions last night." Colossus responded as he turned off his mutant ability. "I come bearing an offer."

"If it's training with the X-Men I'm not sure." Kat responded as she folded her arms. "Got burned on that front by the Avengers, granted it was my fault entirely but still."

"Yes, your mother mentioned something about that, she didn't go into details however." Colossus responded before stepping forward. "The Avengers project is still in it's infancy, the X-Men has been training young mutants like you for years and with all due respect to Captain America we are a lot better suited to handling such cases."

"I don't know, I've liked handling things on my own up to this point, with Marco's help off course." Kat added before she realized something. "Will Marco get a similar offer? I was the only one booted from the internship, as far as I know he's still getting training."

"He will be, it is off course entirely up to you and Marco if you accept." Colossus responded before he went to leave. "It has been a pleasure to meet you Kat."

"Likewise." Kat responded before Colossus left with her mother. _"First I'm trying to get back on the Internship and now the X-Men are approaching me, maybe I should listen to some music to pass the time and think things over."_ Kat thought before grabbing her iPhone and plugging her earphones in.

*across town*

Whilst that was going on Marco was flying across town on his glider to get something to eat from a shop before he went back home.

" _Okay, so what do I want to get? Something cooked or something cold."_ Marco thought as he flew on his glider. _"I'll figure that out when I get there, may as well have a look around whilst I am on my way, might even stop a crime in progress."_ Marco thought before glancing around. _"Same old traffic, and dad wonders why I don't use my new car as much since I got the glider, same old commuters, a big, blue hairy beast guy is watching me from that rooftop…..."_ Marco's train of thought stopped before he did a double take. _"You'd think I'd be used to the weird shit by now, especially after Kat grew wings overnight."_ Marco thought before raising his glider and landing on the roof across from the man who was watching him. "You know, if you wanted me attention, there are less creepy ways than watching me from a rooftop."

"Well young man, I'd argue that you are not that hard to miss." The being, who Marco quickly identified as the X-Men member Beast, said as he turned around. "So, do you prefer Mental Boy or Marco Gordano?"

"Man, I really did drop the ball when it came to me keeping my identity a secret huh?" Marco asked as he removed his helmet and folded his arms. "If you know who I am, and I'm guessing you guys know about Kat as well, then I have one question, what took you so long?"

"Other business, being a Superhero I'm sure you understand." Marco looked up when he realized that they weren't alone on the rooftop as he saw another X-Men member, the mutant known as Havoc. "And yeah, we know about your girlfriend, though really, we've known about you two since your powers awakened."

" _And if they had approached us days ago, I'd be saying that Kat's not my girlfriend."_ Marco thought before folding his arms. "If you want to offer me training, I'm already getting it."

"You mean that new program Captain America's started?" Havoc asked as he stood up and walked over to Marco who nodded. "Wasn't your girlfriend getting the same training until they dropped her?"

"That's a long story, one that she's been kicking herself over ever since." Marco responded before frowning. "And how'd you know about that anyway? We were on top of a high rise when me and Kat talked it out?"

"Well, it's apparent that Kat didn't check to see if she was alone on that rooftop before you arrived." Beast responded as he approached the young mutant. "You don't have to accept right away bit the offer still stands."

"I'll think about it." Marco responded before putting his helmet back on and hopping on his glider before taking off. _"Man, can this week get any weirder?"_

*latter back at NYPD HQ*

"I want to make things absolutely clear." The captain said to the gathered officers as they gathered around his desk in the office. "From now on, no civilian gets in this building without getting searched for weapons first and any attorneys that show up must prove that they are actually attorneys." The captain added before folding his arms. "I don't care if its Steele's little sister, Lao's daughter or any other family members, we already had one Scourge agent infiltrate this building and I'll be damned if I let it happen again! We pledged to protect this city from scumbags like the Scourge organization and help the superheroes with their cases when possible, if we can't even protect a suspect that we had in custody then it makes all look bad! Do I make myself clear?" The captain asked, and the officers nodded before there was a knock at the door. "If it's coffee and donuts, leave them in the main room."

"No sir, I have a match on the fingerprints scan you ordered." The voice of one of the lab technicians responded and the captain nodded to one of the officers who let him in. "At least Reynolds will have some good news coming out of this." The technician added before handing over the sheet to the captain.

"The Scourge agent who infiltrated the precinct was the same guy who killed Blindside, huh?" The captain asked as he looked at the report and the technician nodded. "Reynolds, that's four Scourge murders you can officially declare closed, get to work on the others as soon as possible."

"Will do chief." Reynolds responded with a nod as he looked at the report. "So far, the only ones left to solve are the hits on Styx and Stone, White Rabbit, Mr. Fish, Blare, Blowtorch and the attempted hit on Chemistro though considering that we've only seen one female Scourge agent so far and the gunmen at both the scenes of Blare and Chemistro hits I think its safe to say we're dealing with the same person on that front."

"If we are dealing with the same person then bring her in as soon as possible, I will not rest until these vigilante killings are put to an end and if we can flip her before the Scourges get to her then all the better." The captain responded, and the officers nodded. "In the meantime, I want everyone working overtime until the Scourges are stopped, they continue to make a mockery of us by committing these murders right under our noses and I don't need to remind you of how bad this makes us look in the press, am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" The officers said simultaneously before leaving the office with the lab technician, the captain sat back down at his desk to go over paperwork whilst the officers talked among themselves.

"If I had known she'd be waiting this long for me to return home, I would've been against grounding Kat." Howard admitted as he sat down at his desk opposite Jenny who frowned. "She gets bored so easily that I'd be surprised if she doesn't sneak out before I get home."

"True but I doubt even Kat would want to incur her mother's wrath like that." Jenny nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her coffee. "Besides, maybe its just me but grounding Kat for sneaking out seems a little excessive."

"Just you wait until you have a son/daughter Kat's age, I suppose I was lucky that my firm yet loving approach to parenting worked so well on her." Howard responded before shaking his head. "Not counting the time, I caught her drinking alcohol at fifteen off course, but she learned from that mistake."

"Considering she got booted off that internship I think she's still got a lot of learning to do." Jenny responded with a frown and Howard nodded in agreement. "Especially given why she was booted."

"It's as I said to her on the day that it happened, she's lucky that we didn't get around to installing CCTV in that side alley until today." Howard nodded in agreement before sighing. "I'm going to send Kat a text, tell her that she's being let out early due to me working late."

"You are going to forward that text to Lin, right?" Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow and Howard nodded.

"I don't want a repeat of last night so off course I will." Howard responded as he got his phone out.

*back at Kat's home*

" _And that's the fiftieth time I've listened to that album since Colossus left."_ Kat thought as she lay back on her bed and looked at her iPod which had just played "The Wicked Symphony" by Avantasia. _"If I don't get let out soon then I'm going to start hearing things…..."_ Kat's train of thought was interrupted when she got Howard's text and once she read it she grinned broadly. _"Never thought I'd be so happy about my dad working late! I'd better text Marco!"_

"Kat are you still decent?" Lin's voice rang out and Kat looked up as she got out of bed. Kat went over to her bedroom door and opened it slightly. "Your father's letting you go out on patrol early."

"Yeah, I know, I got the same text." Kat responded as she held up her phone. "About to get changed into the Dragon Girl costume now."

"Just remember what I said last night Katrina." Lin responded, and Kat looked up. "Don't give me a scare like that again, I don't think my heart could take it."

"Easier said than done in my line of work." Kat responded with a yawn before going over to grab her mask and costume. "But I'll try." Kat added before she started braiding her hair and Lin nodded before closing the door as she left her daughter alone, once that was done she picked up the one to text Marco. "Marco, dad let me out early due to the incident at NYPD, meet me at Times Square for patrol?" Kat read the text aloud and sent it before she started putting on the costume.

*later at Time's Square*

" _TV definitely doesn't do this place justice."_ Kat thought as she parked herself on a rooftop on Time's Square, it was the middle of the day, so it wasn't as bright as it looked on TV and that was something Kat was thankful for. _"Still amusing to me that, after a week of being able to fly around New York I haven't visited places like this and the Statue of Liberty for free, then again abusing my powers for my own amusement would definitely set me back as far as my attempts to get back on the internship."_

"It isn't as bring as it looks on TV, isn't it?" Kat looked up and saw Marco hop off his glider and she grinned. "Then again, it is the middle of the day."

"I think we have a new Superhero name for you, Captain Obvious." Kat responded with a grin as she stood up and walked over to her boyfriend. "Since Dad let me off early because he's working overtime at the precinct I don't know if the two-hour time limit is still in effect, but we'll see."

"Yeah well, hopefully we won't get a call for help that directs us to a place that's two hours away from here, otherwise you'd get nothing done." Marco responded, and Kat nodded in agreement. "So, did you get a visit from one of the X-Men as well?"

"How'd you guess? Not everyday a Russian guy comes into my room who towers over my mother and can make his skin metal." Kat responded with a nod and Marco laughed. "Who did you get?"

"Beast and Havoc, kinda surprised that they tried to recruit me knowing that I was still on the internship but what can you do?" Marco asked before noticing the annoyed look his comments had earned him. "Oh, right, the fact that they booted you off is still a sore point, sorry."

"No, no, keep rubbing it in that my fuck-up cost me an opportunity that most heroes my age would kill for." Kat responded with a ton of sarcasm in her voice and Marco winced at her tone. "Besides, its as you said last night, saving those kids from that fire was a step in the right direction, I just have to make sure that I don't take ten steps back today."

"Short of building a mini torture chamber in your backyard I don't see you taking ten steps back, then again it wouldn't exactly be long until your parents figure out what your doing and put a stop to it." Marco responded getting a laugh out of Kat.

"Never mind the fact that I don't know where I'd find the equipment for such a thing, not to mention the money to build it because I don't imagine it being cheap." Kat responded with a smirk before shaking her head. "What the hell happened to this conversation exactly? We started off talking about the X-Men and now we're talking about the logistics of a torture chamber in my back garden!"

"You got me, I lost track of it after you started being sarcastic." Marco responded getting a laugh out of Kat, however before either teen could say anything else they heard the sound of the alarm from a nearby bank and looked up. "More common criminals?" Marco asked Kat as she went to get a closer look.

"Do you know any common criminals who fly?" Kat asked as she spotted a figure flying out of the bank carrying several money bags, as the figure flew over them Kat frowned. "Vulture, well, at least he's a step up from the Supervillains we've faced up to this point."

"Kat, so far the only Supervillains we've dealt with since donning our costumes as Chemistro and that incident on Sunday where The Walrus teamed up with Grizzly and The Gibbon to ruin a dog fighting ring and they nearly escaped because we fell over laughing at The Walrus's claim of having the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a walrus." Marco responded as he hopped on the glider and Kat started to fly. "Thank god that little old lady and her Great Dane was there to stop them."

"Yeah, never thought I'd feel sorry for a trio of Supervillains, even ones as lame as those three, but they are never living that down." Kat responded as she shook her head before she started flying. "We've wasted enough time as it is, I'm using my wings to catch up with Vulture, you see if you can cut him off!"

"You got it!" Marco responded before the two teens went their separate ways.

"Extract!" Kat commanded her wings and once they had spread out Kat flew off to catch up with the Supervillain.

*meanwhile*

In a seedier part of town two Supervillains were meeting up but not for a heist or anything like that, instead they were meeting to discuss a problem that the Supervillain community had been facing.

"I'm telling you Blue Streak, unless we do something soon we'll be next on the Scourge's hitlist!" The villain known as Blackout said as the other villain skated up to him. "I know a guy who's putting a meeting together to discuss what to do with the Scourge of the Underworld threat, if we meet up with him at the Bar with No Name in Woodstock, we can plan and strategize."

"Gee, where have I heard that before?" Blue Streak responded as he folded his arms. "My predecessor was invited to a similar meeting in the 1980s, you want to know what happened? Not only was he killed before the meeting, but the original Scourge infiltrated the bar and killed all the villains who did turn up! I'm telling ya Blackout, it's a deathtrap!"

"This time it'll be different, for one thing we know there's more than one Scourge active at the moment but if we don't do something then we won't live long." Blackout asserted, and Blue Streak frowned under his mask. "We also know that unlike the original Scourge, these guys are sticking to New York City, not the small towns surrounding it."

"We're talking about a town that's a two-hour drive by car from New York, if the Scourge is dedicated enough to eliminating the criminal element then that two-hour drive will be nothing!" Blue Streak responded with a frown. "Who else does this guy have attending the meeting anyway?"

"Daddy Long-Legs, Gypsy Moth, Diamondback, one of the Eels, Joystick, that's just the guys he was able to contact so far." Blackout responded as he leaned back against the wall. "They'll be others and the Scourges won't know what hit them!"

"Or we won't know what hit us when the Scourge opens fire on us in the middle of the meeting." Blue Streak responded before he started to move. "You can tell this friend of yours that if he was smart, he'd call off the meeting or at the very least, host it in a place that isn't so obvious! I value my life too much to go out the same way as the first Blue Streak did!"

"Suit yourself but if the meeting fails because you chickened out don't act surprised when the Scourge comes after you next!" Blackout called out to Blue Streak but by then he was long gone. _"The Scourge won't be dumb enough to pull the exact same trick as the original did back in the 1980s, Blue Streak's just being a coward!"_ Blackout thought before walking off.

*back at the fight*

Kat flew as fast as she could after Vulture and she eventually caught up with the elderly Supervillain as he flew above the skies of New York.

" _Of course if he was just a regular old man who felt like robbing a store I would've had a much easier time catching him without my powers."_ Kat thought before sighing. _"And that's made me depressed over the fact that my athletics skills won't progress beyond high school level, oh well, I've got an old man to beat up…. thank god there aren't any telepaths nearby."_ Kat thought before picking up speed with a flap of her wings and pulling out in front of Vulture. "Hey old man, what kind of example does this set for your grandkids?"

"Out of my way Dragon Girl!" The Vulture snarled as he stopped in front of the much younger hero. "I have to get out of town before…."

"Let me guess, Scourge?" Kat asked as she folded her arms. "I'm going to say the same thing to you as I said to Chemistro, there are easier ways of making money, less painful…..." Kat never finished her sentence as Vulture rammed into her knocking Kat off balance as the villain flew off. "Hey!"

"I don't have time to waste on a millennial like you!" Vulture scowled at Kat as he flew off. "Why don't you go Tweet "Not My President" instead of wasting my time!"

"I don't even have a Twitter account!" Kat yelled back before face-palming. _"Great comeback Kat! How does Spider-Man make this look so easy?"_

"Err, Kat, Vulture's getting away!" Marco's voice rang out from her earpiece and Kat shook her head before flying after Vulture. "I'll join you at the corner of 47th, hopefully we can corner him."

"Corner a flying villain, yeah, that'll be easy." Kat muttered sarcastically before she resumed her pursuit of Vulture and sure enough she reached the corner that she had agreed to meet Marco to try to catch up with her. _"Seriously? Millennial? I may be the legal age to vote now but I wasn't during the last election! And unlike most people my age I don't get easily offended…."_ Kat's train of thought was interrupted when the Vulture took a sudden left turn causing her to crash into the side of the building because she wasn't paying attention. "Ow."

"So, Kat." Marco's clearly amused voice rang out as he caught up with his friend. "How goes for the Vulture chase?"

"Well, let's see." Kat said as she peeled herself off the wall with an extremely annoyed look on her face. "Pretty sure my nose is broken, I'm going to be a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons and oh yeah, THE VULTURE'S GETTING AWAY!" Kat snapped at him with an annoyed look on her face before she picked up where she left off, namely by giving chase to the Vulture.

"Kat, I'm just saying that your probably not going to find Vulture on the walls of the city." Marco said into his earpiece as the two teens took off in separate directions and the Chinese girl growled.

"Hey, is that your new car down there?" Kat asked as she spotted the car in question. "Wonder how much of a distraction it would be to take it to the nearest junkyard?"

"Shutting up!" Marco quickly responded as they resumed their chase.

*meanwhile bellow the heroes*

"Never thought I'd get out of the station." Howard admitted to Jenny as he sat inside the cop car directly bellow where Kat and Marco were giving chase to the Vulture, not that they knew it at the time as they were eating some donuts they had gotten from a donut shop. "At least we're getting some fresh air."

"And after everything that happened this morning, I could use some fresh air." Jenny nodded in agreement as she finished her last donut.

"All units be on the lookout for the Spider-Man villain known as the Vulture." The dispatcher's voice rang out over the radio and Howard quickly finished his last donut. "Last seen over Queens, the superheroes known as Dragon Girl and Mental Boy are giving chase over."

" _Well, that didn't take long."_ Howard thought with a frown before picking up the radio. "Roger that dispatch, we are in the Queens area as we speak, should get a visual on the three of them soon."

"I see them." Jenny commented as she saw Kat give chase to Vulture and subsequently crash into a wall. "Ouch, she's going to feel that one in the morning."

"Indeed." Howard nodded in agreement with a wince before sighing. "I told her to call me if she was going to get into any Supervillain fights."

"Probably didn't want to bother you at work, besides you know about it now." Jenny responded as they watched Marco and Kat's brief argument before they picked up the slack. "We had better give chase and provide them with ground support."

"Agreed." Howard said before Jenny drove off after the heroes as he got his phone out.

*back with Kat and Marco*

"Seriously? What now?" Kat muttered under her breath as she heard her ringtone and grabbed her phone. _"Dad, great, he's probably seen the chase on TV."_ Kat sighed before answering. "Hey dad, kind of in the middle of something."

"I know, look bellow you." Howard responded, and Kat looked down seeing the cop car. "How are you feeling after that crash?"

"You saw that huh?" Kat sighed whilst feeling glad that her mask last most of her head covered, otherwise the world would see her blushing from embarrassment. "Pretty sure I broke my nose on impact but other than that I'm fine, and yeah I know I should've called you, but you do tend to leave your phone off whilst on duty."

"Fair point and don't worry about the call, just worry about capturing Vulture and we'll provide ground support." Howard admitted, and Kat nodded. "And try not to crash into another building."

"I'm never living that down, aren't I?" Kat sighed as she continued to give chase. "Pretty sure Vulture's planning to skip town because of the Scourge hits so if we can stop him before he reaches the city limits that would be ideal."

"I'll let the captain know, as for your nose, I'll have a look at it once Vulture is captured." Howard responded before hanging up and Kat pocketed her phone before putting a hand to her earpiece.

"Marco, good news, dad and Jenny are providing ground support." Kat started as she weaved in and out of the buildings. "Should be easy enough to capture Vulture now."

"Yeah, as long as he doesn't go above the buildings we should be fine." Marco responded, and Kat frowned. "Otherwise you'll be saving two criminals from certain death in the span of two days!"

"Let's not give the Vulture ideas!" Kat responded as she picked up speed to catch up with the Vulture. "Give it up Vulture, your flying days are numbered."

"Oh please, I've been flying since your parents were babies!" Vulture responded as he span around to face Kat. "Now why don't you go sign an online petition and stop wasting my time! If I don't leave New York soon I'll be permanently grounded by the Scourge!"

"The police put Chemistro in protective custody, they can do the same for…." Kat never finished her sentence as Vulture lunged forward with some surprisingly powerful blows to her midsection.

"Don't you EVER compare me to the likes of Chemistro! That joke is not worth shining my boots!" Vulture responded before landing a blow that sent Kat flying into a building through an open window. "And this time stay down!"

"Hey old man, I thought you came from a time when women were respected or something, I don't know, I lose track of my dad's back in my day ramblings after a while." Marco chimed in he caught up to Vulture who span around. "Point is, we're about to pluck your feathers!"

"You can certainly try!" The Vulture responded before lunging at Marco who quickly got his forcefields up to repel the blows from the airborne villain. "Those fields of yours can't last forever!"

"Who said that they needed too?" Kat's voice rang out as she emerged from the building and charged at Vulture, Vulture for his part span around and lunged at Kat only for her to duck at the last second and send him crashing into the side of the building. "Mental Boy restrain him!"

"What do I look like? A Pokémon?" Marco asked as he quickly levitated several metal bars just as Vulture span around. "Don't answer that." Marco added before he launched the bars at Vulture holding him in place, the Supervillain struggled for a few minutes until eventually giving up. "There, now as long as nothing happens to break my concentration you can stay there until the police arrest you!"

"Guess again Mental Boy." The Vulture responded before breaking free of the hold and flying at them. "This suit gives me more than enough strength to break free!"

" _I am so tempted to make a Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged series reference."_ Kat thought before shaking her head and lunging at the villain, Kat and the Vulture exchanged blows in mid-air, but it was a headbutt from Vulture that knocked Kat off balance long enough to turn the tide in Vulture's favor. _"Well, if my nose wasn't broken before, it definitely is now!"_

"Why don't you kids just admit that you've met your match?" The Vulture asked as Kat recovered from the surprise headbutt. "You've thrown everything you've got at me…..."

"Not everything!" Marco interrupted him as he sent the glider charging into Vulture knocking him off balance. "Dragon Girl finish him!"

"You complained about me treating you like a Pokémon and now you treat me like a Mortal Kombat character?" Kat asked before shaking her head and launching herself at Vulture, however around halfway through she folded the wings around her body and started spinning at high speeds whilst heading straight to Vulture delivering a powerful blow to the villain which knocked him to the ground bellow and finally knocked him unconscious.

"It worked, didn't it?" Marco asked as he approached Kat who had clearly caused herself to be dizzy with the move but was otherwise fine. "Where did you come up with that?"

"Came to me in a dream last night." Kat shrugged as she regained her composure. "Still have some kinks to work out but it did the job." Kat added before they landed next to Jenny and Howard who had just arrested Vulture. "I'm guessing you need our statements?"

"Sure, and after that I'll need to look at your nose." Howard responded, and Kat nodded before relaying what had happened alongside Marco, once that was done Howard led her into an alley. "First major Supervillain bust, he didn't rough you up to badly, did he Kat?"

"I've had worse." Kat admitted before removing her mask. "You wanted to look at my nose, right?"

"Hold still, this should just take a second." Howard responded before looking at the clearly damaged nose. "Does it feel broken?"

"Now that I've had time to process it, not really, if anything my ego took a bigger hit when I crashed into that building." Kat shrugged as Howard examined it.

"It doesn't look broken, its more likely you just damaged it with the crash and the headbutt from Vulture." Howard responded, and Kat nodded before putting her mask back on, once she did Kat let out an annoyed sigh.

"So, I'm guessing I'm still grounded?" Kat asked, and Howard nodded.

"Only for the rest of the weekend, given the circumstances I will let this slide." Howard responded and Kat grinned. "Still, you did great and don't you forget that."

"Thanks dad." Kat responded with a grin before following her dad out of the alley.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was happening across town a different scene was unfolding at Scourge HQ.

"You wanted to see me?" Shaun asked as he entered Target's office and the masked Supervillain turned to him as he read a newspaper.

"You know Shaun, I just received word of a high-rise fire last night." Target stated as he put down a copy of the Daily Bugle which had a picture of the High-Rise Fire on its front page. "No one was hurt thanks to the heroic efforts of our old friend Dragon Girl but there seems to be a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Shaun asked, and Target suddenly pulled a gun on him.

"The problem is you." Target responded as he kept his gun trained on Shaun. "I sent Kara to kill Blowtorch after it was confirmed that he was behind the fire so imagine my surprise when I learnt that he was already dead and based on the words of my spies you paid him to set the fire and sent Jason into the building to wait for Dragon Girl." Target added as his eyes narrowed. "Now I'm down two agents as I had sent Donovan into the NYPD with instructions to kill Jason and then himself if he was discovered and don't be surprised if I decide to trim more fat."

"Target just give me another chance." Shaun responded as he put his hands up. "I've heard that a group of Supervillains will gather at the Bar with No Name at Woodstock to discuss what to do with the threat of the Scourge."

"I know." Target responded as got ready to fire.

"Okay, how about this?" Shaun asked before looking at the pictures of the villains with hits on them that Target had on his desk. "Shocker, you said that he was planning a break out, right? Just give me a chance to put that bastard down for good." Shaun added, and Target paused before pocketing the gun.

"Understand this, if you fail to kill Shocker then you will be out of chances." Target warned him as his eyes narrowed. "And you will join Jason and Donovan in the morgue." Target added and Shaun gulped before leaving the office.


	12. Jailbreak

The weekend went by quickly for Kat and before she knew it she could leave the house wherever she wanted again, that didn't exactly guarantee that the patrols would be eventful though as Kat returned home from her latest patrol with Marco.

"See you tomorrow Marco." Kat said as she landed on the roof of the restaurant after kissing her boyfriend goodnight. "Hopefully the next patrol will be more interesting."

"I don't know, after you nearly got blown up in that high rise on Thursday and crashed into a wall on Friday I thought you'd welcome a patrol where the most excitement we got up to was saving a dog from being run over and the most danger you faced was said dog licking your face off." Marco responded with a grin and Kat shook her head with a laugh.

"In my defense, that was a Labrador puppy we rescued." Kat responded with a grin as she folded her arms. "Those things tongues will get you everywhere if you give them a chance."

"Why does it sound like your speaking from personal experience and not in a way that doesn't suggest…." Marco never finished his sentence as he heard shouting from the storefront. "Don't tell me that's more thugs?"

"Well, at least today's patrol won't be totally boring." Kat sighed as she put her mask back on and flew over to the storefront for a better look. "Worse than that, protestors."

"Anti-Mutant or anti-immigration?" Marco asked, and Kat frowned knowing that both options were possible before she got a look at one of their signs and recognized the leader.

"Bit of both, remember when those protestors tried to disrupt a dinner service because I was working on the line that day?" Kat asked as she turned to Marco. "Same group, they must've figured that they could get away with it now that mom doesn't have to rely on my help on the line."

"And if we let them continue it's only a matter of time before they start throwing rocks." Marco sighed in annoyance before hopping on his glider. "Main difference? This time you have me as back-up!"

"That's what I like to hear." Kat responded before she hopped down behind the protestors and Marco joined her. "Seriously, didn't you idiots get the message last time you tried this shit?" Kat called out and the shouts stopped as the protestors turned around to see the two mutants behind them. "Or do I need to kick your leader in the balls again to get the message across?"

"Get out of here, mutant scum!" One of the protestors shouted at Kat and her eyes narrowed. "You don't belong here!"

"I live here so yeah, I belong here!" Kat snapped at him as her eyes narrowed. "I'm only going to say this once, I've had a rough couple of weeks so if you start throwing rocks at my mom again, well, let's just say that it won't just be your leader who needs to go to the hospital." Kat added as she marched over to the group with her arms crossed. "So, I'm just going to repeat my parting words from last time, leave, now!"

"We have a right to protest!" The leader's voice responded as he pushed through the crowd and Kat's eyes narrowed once she recognized him. "And we won't be silenced by your intimidation tactics! What good have you done for the city exactly?!"

"Err, lets see, saved five kids from a burning high rise, helped capture a dangerous Super Criminal, not to mention all the regular crimes I've been busting whilst you have been sitting around gorging on snacks." Kat responded as locked eyes with the leader. "You know this isn't going to end well for you idiots so I'm going to say it again, leave, now, before I lose my temper!"

"There's only one person who this isn't going to end well for that's you!" The leader responded before motioning to the other protestors. "We didn't bring rocks to attack your shithole of a restaurant this time! Why don't you show her boys?" The leader added and the much to Kat and Marco's surprise and shock the protestors dropped their signs and pulled out automatic weapons. "Frankly, we don't care who gets hurt, anything to drive the mutant scum out of this city is fine by…" The leader never finished his sentence as Kat flew straight at him and clocked him in the jaw sending him flying into the restaurant and knocking him out in one hit.

"I tried to be reasonable with you idiots." Kat stated as she glared at the rest of the protestors. "But the moment you brought guns to a supposedly peaceful protest? You are lucky that my dad's working overtime at the NYPD." Kat added before one of the protestors went to open fire at her only to find out the hard way that the gun didn't have bullets in it. _"They didn't even bring bullets? How dumb can these guys get?"_

"If I where you, I'd listen to her." A new voice rang out and the protestors looked up and saw Captain America step out of the shadows with his arms crossed. "Unless off course, you want to deal with me alongside Dragon Girl and Mental Boy."

"We were just peacefully protesting when this mutie showed up…..." The first protestor responded, and Captain America shook his head.

"I'd hardly call bringing assault weapons to a "peaceful protest" peaceful." Captain America responded as his eyes narrowed. "Besides, she told me about what happened the last time your group protested this restaurant, difference is? She has me backing her up and I can easily call on any of my Avenger allies to assist us." Captain America added, and the protestors shared a look before running off, once they were done Captain America approached the two teens. "Anyone get hurt?"

"Aside from the leader who's currently counting sheep? No." Kat responded as she motioned to the unconscious leader who was currently being escorted out by two of the servers. "Thanks for backing me up, after they pulled those weapons I knew I had to act fast."

"Just because you're off the internship doesn't mean we don't look out for each other Katrina, and don't you forget it." Captain America assured her and Kat grinned. "That said, might need your help with something a lot more important than this, no disrespect to your family or your mother's restaurant of course."

"Had a feeling you weren't in the area by chance." Kat sighed as she turned to the older hero. "So, what's up?"

"What's up is that there's been rumblings of a massive breakout happening at The Raft and based on what I've heard, that could become a reality any day now." Captain America explained, and the two young heroes shared a look. "I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you were ready and the way you saved those kids from the fire and captured The Vulture last week convinced me that maybe you are ready."

"This would go a long way to getting me back on the internship." Kat commented, and Captain America raised an eyebrow. "And any lives we can save along the way should be my priority off course." Kat quickly added, and Captain America nodded in approval. "So, you want our help rounding up the villains if they do break out?" Kat asked, and Captain America nodded at which point Kat frowned. "I'm still a little salty over being kicked off the internship but considering how dangerous most of the villains in The Raft are? How can I say no."

"Good to know." Captain America responded before handing them a piece of paper. "If you see anything on the news about the jailbreak meet me and several other heroes at this location and we'll take it from there."

"Will do." Kat responded before Captain America walked off and the leader was arrested by police. "What do you think Marco?"

"Some of the guys in the Raft have me worried, namely Rhino since he'll be gunning for us." Marco responded with a frown before sighing. "We'll talk about it tomorrow when we go on patrol, give us a night to sleep on it and all."

"Sounds good, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Kat responded, and Marco nodded before flying off on his glider, once Marco was done Kat ran into the restaurant to check on her mother.

*the next day*

The following day things were business as usual at the restaurant with Lin ordering the line cooks around to make sure that the food went out quickly to hungry costumers.

" _Makes me glad that I don't have to do that anymore."_ Kat thought as she glanced at the kitchen whilst making her way through the front of house, she wasn't helping the servers that night but instead wanted to get out of the house and meet with Marco and as per usual she kept her wings covered with her trench coat. _"Especially with my wings, don't know how I'd operate in the kitchen with these things whenever I had to use the ex…...I mean fan."_ Kat thought as she glanced at her wing. _"Going to have to get shoulder pads for this thing, without it the wings are sticking up through it."_

"In breaking news, there has been a massive breakout at The Raft prison facility." The news report came through and all the customers looked up alongside Kat, though Kat was the only one with a grin on her face. "Authorities are requesting that all residents stay indoors until the Superheroes have gathered up the Supervillains, for obvious reasons each and every Supervillain is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

" _Even the Walrus? Pretty sure mom could kick his ass."_ Kat thought before glancing over at her mother, once Lin saw Kat glancing her way she nodded in understanding at which point Kat left the restaurant, entered her bedroom and started getting changed as quickly as she could into the Dragon Girl costume. _"Hope Marco hasn't left the note Cap gave him."_ Kat thought as she put the Dragon Girl costume on. _"No point in wearing my civilian clothes under it when I'll probably be spending the whole day in costume."_ Kat thought before she heard her ringtone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Kat, guessing you saw the news?" Marco's voice rang out and Kat nodded. "Not that I didn't enjoy the eye candy but maybe draw the curtains next time?"

"What?" Kat asked before glancing over her shoulder and realizing that Marco was waving at her from across the road on a lower rooftop. "Had to get changed in a hurry, besides, given the circumstances I doubt I'll be swapping out the Dragon Girl costume today." Kat responded before putting her mask on, hanging up and flying over to Marco. "And let us never speak of that again."

"You don't hear me complaining." Marco shrugged before checking the coordinates Cap had given them yesterday. "Looks like we're meeting near Times Square, we'd better get a move on."

"Thank god for these wings." Kat responded with a grin as she started to take off. "Extract!" Kat ordered her wings and the wings spread out in an instant. "See you on the other side!" Kat added before taking off.

"Hey, at least let me get the glider out!" Marco called out to her before shaking his head and getting the glider out, powering it up and going after Kat.

*meanwhile in Woodstock*

With a population of 5,884 people Woodstock wasn't famous for many things outside of being associated with the famous festival but that was soon about to change.

"Okay, we should be getting more guys now that the Prison Break we've been hearing about has come to fruition." The bartender said to the gathered Super criminals at the Bar with No Name at Woodstock, New York who all nodded. "Blackout, any luck with Blue Streak!"

"More like Yellow Streak, tried to recruit him two days ago but the coward's worried that history will repeat itself." Blackout responded as he shook his head. "I think the only way we'll see any sign of him is if things gets a little too intense for him in New York, but I doubt it."

"Eh, forget him!" Daddy Long-Legs responded as he shook his head with a frown. "If he doesn't want to be hear than what business is it of ours?"

"Exactly!" Gypsy Moth responded with a grin as she leaned back. "Who needs a guy on Rollerblades anyway? They aren't any good at outrunning a bullet."

"Even so, there is something to be said for strength in numbers." The Eel responded before shaking his head. "If any other villains show up then we'll more than make up for his absence."

"I'm just hoping its that female Scourge I've heard about!" Joystick responded with a massive grin on her face. "I heard she's cute!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Blackout demanded as he turned to the female Supervillain. "And how can you tell anyway? Scourge of the Underworld agents where masks!"

"I have my ways!" Joystick responded before a figure stepped into view. "Oh sweet! Another villain has joined us!"

"That's right! I am The Walrus!" The Walrus said as he stepped into view with a victory pose, ridiculous costume and all. "The Scourge of the Underworld stands no chance because I have the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a Walrus!"

In the past the Walrus had been met with laughter at the ridiculous statement, however this time the Supervillain was met with a stunned silence from the other villains, Daddy Long-Legs and Gypsy Moth where looking at each other as if to say, "did he just say that?", the Eel was banging his head against the bar repeatedly but what off Joystick and Blackout? "I'm out." Blackout said simply before marching straight for the door.

"Good luck with the Scourge guys, I'd rather take my chances in New York." Joystick added before rushing out the door after Blackout.

*a bit later in New York*

"Okay, so either a Superhero Costume Party is happening on that rooftop over there." Kat commented as the two teens approached the rooftop in question which the directions had taken them too. "Or this is the place?"

"Unless the guy in the Iron Man costume went all out, I'm willing to bet that this is the place." Marco responded, and sure enough Iron Man waved the two teens up once he saw them and they landed on the roof.

"Mental Boy, Dragon Girl, I'm glad you could make it." Captain America greeted them once he saw them and the two teens looked around to the heroes.

" _Daredevil, Iron Man, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, even Thor?"_ Kat thought as she tried her best to keep her excitement down. _"This is serious."_

"Approximately two hours ago there was a power failure at The Raft which, as you all know, is a Supervillain holding facility." Captain America explained as the heroes turned to him. "The villains used this opportunity to escape and are terrorizing New York as we speak, rather than try to track them all down on our own I felt it would be best to coordinate our efforts."

"Uh huh, and who invited the kids exactly?" Hawkeye asked as he turned to Mental Boy and Dragon Girl with a skeptical look on his face. "I've seen what they can do on TV Cap, but they haven't handled anything on this scale before."

"I wouldn't have asked them if they weren't ready." Captain America responded as he turned to the two teens. "Besides, this isn't the first time they've dealt with Supervillains, right?"

"Err, well, our first battle was against Chemistro." Marco chimed in and Iron Man face-palmed in response. "Then we busted up a Dog Fighting ring run by The Walrus, Grizzly and the Gibbon, but they nearly escaped…"

"HOW?!" Hawkeye asked with a look of disbelief on his face. "How did complete jokes like The Grizzly, The Gibbon and the Walrus escape you?!"

"We fell over laughing when the Walrus said that he had the proportionate strength, speed and agility as his namesake." Kat responded with a sheepish grin at which point Captain America looked ready to bang his head against a wall. "We only caught up to them after a little old lady's Great Dane tripped them up with his lead."

"Oh great, the newest adventurers on the block had to rely on a Scooby Doo moment." Hawkeye responded as he ran a hand down his face. "Why don't you just go home and leave the adults to it?"

"Because we defeated the Vulture in our next Supervillain battle." Kat responded with a frown and Captain America and Iron Man breathed sighs of relief. "Besides, your hardly one to talk when it comes to battling lame villains Hawkeye." Kat added, and Hawkeye went to respond but couldn't find the words.

"Point taken." Hawkeye responded before turning to Cap. "But I still say that bringing them along is a bad idea, if they mess up, we're going to have to play babysitter."

"Look, inexperience or not, they will be an asset and let's face it, we need all the help we can get." She-Hulk chimed in before turning to Cap. "Besides, based on what Cap told me he's going to split them up."

"Err, what?" Marco asked as the two teens shared a look. "We've never worked separately before…."

"That's the point." Captain America responded before pointing to Kat. "Dragon Girl, you're with Hawkeye, Daredevil, Iron Man and Spider-Man, try not to come to blows with Hawkeye before you meet any villains, Mental Boy you're with the rest of us, any objections? Aside from Mental Boy and Dragon Girl?" Captain America asked, and the two teens lowered their hands. "One last thing, given all the villains roaming the street I expect to see at least one Scourge agent, if you see them try to prevent their murder attempt but most importantly, try to capture them, alive, am I clear?" Captain America asked, and the groups nodded. "Good, let's split up!"

"Guess this is good-bye for now Marco." Kat whispered to Marco who nodded. "Go kick some ass out there and I'll see you on the other side."

"You too Kat." Marco nodded in agreement before rushing over to the other heroes whilst the Kat was joined by the others.

"Okay, based on what Cap told me there's a group of villains wreaking havoc here." Iron Man said as he showed them a map of the area in question. "Namely Electro, Shocker, Speed Demon, Rhino, Jack O'Lantern and Termite."

"Okay, cool, we'll leave the lower end guys to Dragon Girl and the others to the adults." Hawkeye responded, and Kat gave him an annoyed glare. "What? Annoyed that you're not calling the shots?"

"I dealt with Rhino, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern before, only reason I didn't bring it up was because I thought it would be a good idea to fight them in my civilian identity." Kat responded as she folded her arms. "Granted we had to be bailed out by Spider-Man but only because we let ourselves get distracted for a second, this time will be different."

"She is telling the truth." Daredevil chimed in and Kat grinned under her mask. "Besides, you know what she can do, and I'd argue that Termite and Speed Demon would be a waste of her talents."

"And besides that, Captain America put me in charge of this group, not you." Iron Man responded as he folded his arms. "Try to keep that in mind, Dragon Girl is young, but she has proven herself."

"Not to me, she hasn't." Hawkeye asserted, and Iron Man folded his arms. "Fine but if she screws up, don't say I didn't tell you so." Hawkeye responded with an annoyed sigh before glancing at Kat's wings. "Do we even know what her flying speed is with those things out?"

"Haven't tested that, all I know is that it's a lot faster with the wings out, for example I was able to keep pace with Vulture during my fight with him, well aside from the crash into the wall but details, details." Kat responded, and Hawkeye frowned. "So, are we going to sit around and argue or go kick some ass?"

"Much as I enjoy the cat fight, she's right, we have a job to do." Iron Man responded before pointing to Kat. "Dragon Girl, you're in the air with me and Spidey, my jet boots are a lot faster than Mental Boy's glider so that should be a good test of your flying sped, the rest of you? Try to keep up on the ground."

"Got it!" The other heroes responded before they took off.

"Okay people listen up." Captain America addressed the remaining heroes as they gathered around him. "Mental Boy may be the youngest of the group, but he will be an asset, that said, Mental Boy I want you in the air with Thor, the rest of us will be on the ground."

"You sure you don't want Dragon Girl in this group? Just saying, she's a lot faster than my glider!" Marco asked, and Captain America shook his head.

"You'll do fine on the glider, just focus on being on lookout." Captain America responded, and Marco nodded with some reluctance. "We are going after Whirlwind, Gary Gargoyle, Blue Streak, Big Wheel, The Wrecking Crew and Tombstone, any questions?"

"I thought Blue Streak was out of jail before the break out?" Ant Man asked as he looked at the data.

"He was but he's apparently joined in on the mayhem." Captain America responded, and Ant Man nodded. "Any other questions?" Captain America asked, and the other heroes shook their heads. "Remember people, lives are at stake, try to think about that before you think about your personal glory, understood?" Captain America asked, and the other heroes nodded. "Let's move out!"

*with group one*

After about twenty minutes the first group where well on their way to the villain's location and Kat, Iron Man and Spider-Man were on lookout above the more grounded heroes.

"So, Kat, I noticed that you were a lot chummier with Marco." Iron Man commented as they flew over the streets of New York. "You two finally got honest with each other?"

"Before I answer that question, who else in the group knows my civilian identity?" Kat asked thankful that her mask covered up how much she was blushing, and Iron Man motioned between her and him. "Good, yeah, right after I got the wings me and Marco talked for a while and pretty much made it official."

"And I bet you flying into that burning building nearly gave him a heart attack." Iron Man commented, and Kat shook her head.

"My parents as well, didn't exactly help that I had forgotten to tell them that I was going out and forgot my phone." Kat responded with a sigh as she shook her head. "I ended up getting grounded for the rest of the week for that with only two hours of patrol allowed, part of me is glad that that didn't happen earlier in the week because I'm pretty sure I would've died of boredom otherwise." Kat admitted before she spotted an explosion off in the distance. "And I'll bet my college fund that that's where we'll find the villains."

"Sounds like a safe bet to me." Iron Man nodded in agreement before putting a hand to his earpiece. "You guys see that explosion?"

"Yep, and if that's not where the villains are I'll eat my bow." Hawkeye responded and Kat grinned.

"You want me to provide some seasoning if we are wrong?" Kat asked getting a slight chuckle out of Hawkeye.

"Well if you have any Chinese Five Spice I heard that goes well with a bow." Hawkeye responded as he climbed atop a rooftop for a better look. "Looks like Rhino caused the explosion and the rest of the gang is all here."

"Right, Dragon Girl, Spider Man, you two deal with Rhino, if we need your help with the others we'll let you know." Iron Man responded, and the two younger heroes nodded before swooping down in front of the Rhino.

"This'll be easy!" The Rhino commented as he ran through the streets. "With these many villains out in the street I bet no hero will dare challenge us."

"If you're that bad at making bets then maybe you should stay clear of Vegas." Spider-Man responded, and the Rhino looked up seeing Kat and Spider-Man standing in his path. "Just saying, you'd likely lose more money than you've ever stolen!"

"Spider-Man!" Rhino growled as he got ready to charge. "And…" Rhino trailed off once he saw Kat. "Do I know you?"

"Dragon Girl, don't worry, I'll make sure you remember it whilst your licking your wounds back at The Raft!" Kat responded as the two heroes got ready to fight and Rhino frowned.

" _Could've sworn I heard that girl's voice before, doesn't matter, she can't stand up to me!"_ Rhino thought before charging at the two heroes.

"Hey! Don't forget about me Ms. Whoever you are!" A female voice rang out and Kat looked up seeing the female Electro floating above her ready to fling electricity at her, at least she was until Iron Man flew in and distracted her.

" _Does no one among the villains know who I am?"_ Kat thought before shaking her head. _"Oh right, they were in prison when I made my Superhero debut."_ Kat thought before glancing at Spider-Man. "I thought Electro was a guy?"

"Long story, the guy was the first Electro, he died, his crazy fangirl took over!" Spider-Man explained before motioning towards the charging Rhino in front of them. "Worry about him first!"

"Right!" Kat nodded before she flew towards the Rhino before Spider-Man could even get off the ground and clocked Rhino sending the much larger Supervillain flying backwards, the Rhino got up and wiped some blood from his mouth.

"Not bad, let's see how long you last!" Rhino responded before charging at Kat again, Kat nodded at Spider-Man before flying over the charging Rhino and kicking him in the back of the head sending him stumbling forwards. _"That tears it! She's the same girl from the bank robbery! I don't know where she got those wings, but I don't…."_ Rhino's train of thought was interrupted when Spider-Man flew in and kicked him in the face sending him flying backwards into Kat's fist. "Hey! Can someone give me a hand!?"

"You got it!" Speed Demon's voice rang out and Kat didn't even bother turning around as she heard the villain scream as he charged at her, mostly because Kat backhanded him knocking him out.

"Someone who knows what they're doing!" Rhino called out as he got to his feet and glanced between the two heroes. "Wait, where's Jack O'Lantern and Shocker?"

"We're busy!" The two villains responded, and Rhino looked up seeing Shocker and Jack O'Lantern doing battle with Daredevil and Hawkeye respectively

"Oh great, guess I've got these two all to myself!" Rhino growled before turning to Kat. "At least I get to get my revenge on the girl who humiliated me last time!"

"I have no idea what your talking about!" Kat asserted as she got ready to charge at Rhino who scoffed.

"Your using the same moves as her." Rhino responded before smirking. "And this time, I'm going to finish what I started!" Rhino added before charging at Kat and she did likewise.

" _Beginning to think that attacking those three villains in my civvies was not the best idea in hindsight."_ Kat thought as she flew towards The Rhino and the two of them ended up in a stalemate even though Rhino had the clear strength advantage. _"I hope Marco isn't having the same problem."_ Kat thought before Spider-Man swung in and kicked Rhino in the back of the head stunning him for a moment and letting Kat uppercut him.

"Hey Rhino, maybe try throwing a punch instead of letting yourself be baited into this bullfight?" Electro called out to him as she watched the two heroes double team him.

"Maybe you should worry more about me!" Iron Man responded as he flew right at Electro and fired Repulsor Beams at Electro. "Give it up Electro, you can't beat all of us!"

"That's what you think!" The female Supervillain responded as she glanced towards the ground after dodging the beams. _"All I need to do is bait the tin man to the ground and he's mine! After that I'll help Rhino and before we know it, we'll be on our merry way!"_ Electro thought before dropping to the ground and making sure that she was well out of Rhino's range. "Come on Tin Man, give me your best shot!"

"Do I look like a Wizard of Oz character? Don't answer that Spider-Man, you two Dragon Girl!" Iron Man responded before flying towards Electro but as soon as he was in range Electro grabbed him by his arm and delivered an electric shock.

"Hah! Tin Man fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Electro said with a triumphant grin as she started at Iron Man. "I just delivered an electric shock powerful enough to kill ten men! Any last words before I serve you medium rare?"

"Yes, two of them, thank you." Iron Man responded as he stood up and Electro's jaw dropped. "You just restored full power to my armor!"

"Oh shit…..." Electro trailed off as Iron Man grabbed her by her arm and threw her into the air before flying up and knocking out the Supervillain with a punch.

"Oh, look at that! Electro's down!" Spider-Man commented as he glanced up Iron Man. "Guess there's going to be a power outage in New York…" Spider-Man never finished his sentence as Rhino rammed right into him from behind knocking him down in short order. "Should've paid attention to my Spider-Sense!"

"Too bad you won't get a chance to fix that mistake!" Rhino responded as he went to deliver the killing blow on Spider-Man only to hear Kat whistle to him from behind.

"Forget about me already?" Kat said as she got ready to charge. _"This worked well enough against Vulture's power armor but considering that Rhino's armor is grafted to his skin who knows if this will have the same effect?"_ Kat thought as she charged at Rhino whilst flying and started her spin attack. _"Guess it's now or never!"_

"You really think spinning's going to help you against me? Guess again Dragon Girl!" Rhino boasted before he charged right at Kat at full speed but unfortunately for the massive villain Kat was a lot faster and the extra distance had let her build up a lot of momentum so when the two met in the middle Rhino was able to withstand the attack for a little bit before it overpowered him and sent him flying into a parked car finally knocking out the massive villain.

" _I need to figure out how to do that without getting myself dizzy."_ Kat thought as she steadied herself out of the move and turned to Iron Man. "Who's left?"

"Just Shocker and Jack O'Lantern, haven't seen Termite but then again that guy's been in prison so long that I've probably forgotten what his costume looked like." Iron Man responded before motioning to the heroes to join him on the rooftop to help with the remaining villains.

*meanwhile*

" _Man, I knew breaking out was a mistake!"_ The villain known as Termite thought as he watched Electro and Rhino get knocked out in rapid succession from an alleyway near where Shocker was fighting Daredevil. _"I thought by surrounding myself with powerful villains I'd be okay, but they took them out like they were nothing."_ Termite thought before running down the alleyway. "I should've stayed in The Raft, I would've been safe!"

"Maybe you would've." The Termite looked up and saw a prostitute nearby who he had dismissed as not a threat, suddenly the prostitute pulled out a shotgun from her handbag and pointed it at Termite. "For one thing, no one would've finished the job The Enforcer started years ago."

"The Enforcer? Oh shit…." Termite never finished his sentence as the prostitute shot him through the chest killing him on the spot.

"Justice is served, Termite." The prostitute, or rather the Scourge agent Kara, said as she returned the shotgun to her handbag.

"Hey, did you guys hear something?" Spider-Man's voice rang out and Kara's eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" Kara cussed before she started running down the alley.

*back at the fight*

"Give it up Jack O'Lantern!" Hawkeye called out to the Halloween themed Supervillain as he rolled out of the way of his wrist blades and continued to fire one arrow after another at the villain. "You can't win! Not with these many heroes here!"

"I don't care!" The villain sneered as he continued to fire his wrist blades at Hawkeye. "All I care about is getting revenge on those brats who delayed me, Rhino and Shocker long enough for Spider-Man to come along and kick our asses!"

" _Dragon Girl did mention something about that, well if all goes well it won't get that far."_ Hawkeye thought as he notched another arrow and fired it at Jack O'Lantern which he dodged, however when he went to grab another arrow he found nothing waiting for him in his quiver. "Well, this is awkward!"

"Oh, what's the matter? Out of arrows already?" Jack O'Lantern asked before he charged at Hawkeye and clocked him in the jaw knocking him down and preparing his wrist blades. "Well, at least I'll go down as the one who killed Hawkeye!" Jack O'Lantern added before he prepared his wrist blades to fire right at Hawkeye's throat.

"You might want to take a raincheck on that!" Kat's voice rang out and Jack O'Lantern turned around just in time to see Kat's boot connect with his head as the young hero Roundhouse Kicked him knocking him out, after she made sure that Jack O'Lantern was down for the count Kat handed Hawkeye the arrows that he had missed. "I think you dropped something!" Kat added, and Hawkeye grinned before taking them.

"If your up here then I'm guessing Rhino's out?" Hawkeye asked, and Kat nodded before offering her hand, Hawkeye took it and she pulled him up. "Looks like I was wrong about you."

"You two can make friends later, Daredevil still needs our help!" Iron Man called out to the two heroes and they nodded before hopping onto the rooftop where Shocker was battling Daredevil.

"Stand still!" Shocker shouted as Daredevil continued to dodge his energy blasts with ease. "I almost wish I was battling Spider-Man, at least his banter would make the fight interesting!"

"Err, Shocker, you ever heard the phrase "be careful what you wish for"?" Spider-Man responded as he landed on the rooftop behind the villain and Shocker glanced around briefly, however that brief glance was enough for him to realize how outmatched he was.

"Iron Man, Dragon Girl, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, but that means…" Shocker trailed off and whilst the heroes couldn't see the veteran villain's face his body language said it all. "I didn't even want to stay in New York!" Shocker sighed as he put his hands up surrender. "I just wanted to skip town before the Scourge of the Underworld got to me!"

"Didn't exactly stop you from wreaking havoc, did it?" Iron Man asked as he folded his arms whist Shocker dropped to his knees. "Captain, Iron Man here, all the villains on our side of town sans Termite have been dealt with, Shocker surrendered without much of a fight."

"Excellent work, I'll send some SHIELD agents to help the local police round up the villains as soon as we're done here." Captain America responded, and Iron Man nodded. "How did Dragon Girl perform?"

"Better than you expected." Iron Man responded, and Kat grinned broadly when she heard that. "What about Mental Boy?"

"Doing well but a little out of his league, thankfully he has us to back him up." Captain America responded, and Iron Man nodded. "He also says to tell Dragon Girl he says hi." Captain America added, and Iron Man turned to Kat.

"Tell him I said hi as well." Kat responded, and Iron Man nodded before relaying her message.

"Once we're done we'll meet up at NYPD, there's still other villains to round up but I think that can wait another day." Captain America added, and Iron Man nodded before hanging up.

"I'm guessing you guys heard that." Iron Man responded, and the other heroes nodded before a gunshot rang out from the nearby alley. "What the?"

"Hey, did you guys hear something?" Spider-Man asked before perching himself on the wall and seeing Kara fleeing the scene of Termite's murder. "Well, I found Termite, or rather his corpse."

"Scourge of the Underworld?" Iron Man asked and once Spider-Man looked around he nodded in response. "Don't let them get away."

"You got it!" Spider-Man responded before swinging off after Kara and unfortunately for the Scourge agent he was a lot faster than she was. "Hey, didn't your mommy tell you not to play with guns!"

"Stay back!" Kara snapped at Spider-Man as she pulled out her shotgun. "I've killed one guy today and if I have to go through a hero to get away so be it!"

"Maybe you could get away with that if there was only one hero around." Kat responded as she landed behind Kara and she span around to see the other heroes surrounding her. "But with five heroes here? You'd have been better off bringing a machine gun."

"How about we don't give her ideas." Hawkeye suggested before turning to Kara. "Face it lady, your surrounded, only question is, are you going to come quietly or missing a few teeth, your choice." Hawkeye added, and Kara looked around the heroes before lowering her head and dropping the shotgun. "Good choice."

"Not like it matters, as soon as he finds out I've been captured I'm as good as dead!" Kara responded as she removed her wig and looked at Kat directly. "And all because you prevented my first hit!"

"You're the Scourge agent who tried to kill Chemistro?" Kat realized, and Kara nodded. "The police can put you in protective custody, they don't want a repeat of what happened with the Scourge agent I saved from that high-rise fire over the weekend!"

"It won't matter, he'll find me eventually." Kara scoffed as she glared at Kat. "No one escapes Target's sights, no one!"

"Wait, the leader of the Scourge organization is a Supermarket chain?" Spider-Man asked as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Trust me, I thought the same thing when he tried to recruit me." Kat responded with a frown earning curious looks from the other heroes. "Long story, and before anyone asks, I refused the offer, point is, Target's a lot more dangerous than his namesake."

"Still can't believe he tried to recruit a damn criminal." Kara muttered under her breath and Kat ran a hand down her face as the heroes looked at her.

"That's an even longer story." Kat sighed as she messaged her temples. "Just so we're clear, never broken the law, don't plan too either, mostly because my dad's a cop and I'd never hear the end of it from him if I did." Kat explained to the older heroes before glancing down at Kara. "The only reason they think I'm a criminal is because I dared to prevent a murder attempt, the hit on Chemistro I mentioned before."

"You may not have broken the law, but you are no better than the criminals you just beat up!" Kara said as she pointed an accusing finger at Kat. "You heroes really think these criminals can be reformed? If they were interested in being reformed than why would they break out in the first place? The only remedy to the criminal poison is a bullet!"

"Okay, I've heard enough." Iron Man sighed as he messaged his temples just as the cops showed up. "Hawkeye, go get some cops so that she can be arrested." Iron Man added as he pointed to Kara. "It's clear to me that she needs some therapy."

"I won't even get that far." Kara scoffed as Hawkeye ran off to alert the cops. "Didn't you hear me? I'm as good as dead!"

"Not on our watch." Spider-Man responded as Hawkeye returned with two cops, one of the two cops quickly arrested Kara whilst the other called in the coroner to retrieve Termite's body. "I think our work's done here Iron Man."

"Agreed, let's go." Iron Man nodded in response before the heroes left.

*meanwhile with group two*

Whilst Group One was enjoying success after dealing with their group of villains group two had just reached their group of villains, so how was it going for Marco.

" _Volunteer to take on the Wrecking Crew solo I said, it'll be fun I said!"_ Marco thought as he struggled to withstand the powerful blows from the super strong criminals. "Okay, seriously, how is this even remotely fair? You guys have Super Strength and I don't, you could fold me into a basketball and play some hoops if you wanted too!"

"And we will!" The Wrecker responded as he continued to pound away at Marco's forcefield. "As soon as you drop that forcefield."

"You may as well wait for She-Hulk to drop her panties for you!" Marco responded earning an annoyed glare from She-Hulk as she tangled with the Gray Gargoyle. "Well it's true!"

"Mental Boy just shut up and wait for Thor to help you out, she shouldn't take much longer!" She-Hulk responded as she kicked away the Gray Gargoyle.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" The panicked sounds of Jackson Wheele's voice rang out as he desperately tried to steer his massive wheel like vehicle away from Thor as she gave chase.

" _I swear, Big Wheel vs. Thor has got to be the biggest mismatch in Superhero history and that's counting Boomerang vs. The Hulk!"_ Marco thought as he desperately kept up his force-fields. _"Though the moment they break through my fields is the moment that me vs. the Wrecking Crew joins that list!"_

"Does that kid do nothing but complain?" Ant Man wondered as he and the Wasp did battle against Whirlwind and Wasp shook her head.

"I don't think he's ever taken on that many Supervillains at once." Wasp responded as Marco continued to struggle to keep his guard up. "But yeah, we should probably help him before the Wrecking Crew stuffs him in a locker, where is Captain America anyway?"

"Off chasing Blue Streak last I checked." Ant Man responded as he dodged another blow from Whirlwind.

" _Why did I agree to this? Why did I agree to break out? Why did I decide to join in on the mayhem?"_ Big Wheel thought as he continued to flee from Thor. _"And why is Thor picking on me?!"_ Big Wheel thought before he heard a loud crash from above him and realized that the vehicle had stopped moving. "Err…..."

"You will roll no further Big Wheel!" Thor said as she dragged him out of the cockpit and lowered him to the ground, a quick glance over his shoulder confirmed his worst fears as Thor had disabled the vehicle with her hammer. "This is for wasting my time." Thor said simply before punching Jackson in the face and knocking him out.

"Oh good, maybe I can actually get some help over here!" Marco muttered under his breath as he saw Thor knock out Big Wheel, however he didn't get much of a chance to enjoy it as another onslaught from the Wrecking Crew came his way. _"If I can get some energy blasts going that'll be great!"_ Marco thought as the four villains pounded away at his shields.

"Just a little more, boys!" The Wrecker told the rest of his crew as he went for another strike with his superpowered Crowbar. "And after that? We'll teach him for making fun of our team name."

"I'm just saying that naming your team after yourself shows a lack of creativity and an overinflated ego!" Marco responded as he braced himself for the hit. _"And if Kat was here she'd be making so many pot calling the Kettle Black jokes, hey wait a sec!"_ Marco thought as he noticed the energy gathering in his hands and grinned as he formed a fist. _"Let's see if the technique I developed with Cap pays off!"_ Marco thought as he dissipated his shields.

"Ready to take your beating like a man?" Bulldozer asked before she turned and nodded to Piledriver and the two villains charged.

"Not by a long shot!" Marco responded before punching the air with one arm and suddenly a telemetric fist appeared out of thin air and punched Piledriver sending the villain flying and knocking him out, Bulldozer stared in shock for a moment before charging at Marco who uppercutted the air sending her flying with a telekinetic uppercut.

"Hope ya didn't forget about me!" Tombstone said as he leapt from a building directly above Marco intending to do a plunging attack, unfortunately for him Bulldozer crashed right into him knocking both villains out in the process.

"Hah! Double knockout! I bet Dragon Girl can't top…..." Marco trailed off as he saw Wrecker and Thunderball coming towards him. "Oh, right, forgot there was four members of the Wrecking Crew."

"You will pay for what you did to Bulldozer and Piledriver!" The Wrecker responded as he went to swing at Marco again, but this time Thor whacked him with her hammer from the side knocking him into Piledriver knocking both villains out.

"I believe that makes us even for my late arrival." Thor commented as she offered a hand to Marco who quickly took it.

" _And now I've got "Twilight of the Thunder God" by Amon Amarth stuck in my head."_ Marco thought as he did his best to remain professional. _"Must not squeal like a fangirl!"_

"You can't keep this up forever She Hulk!" Gray Gargoyle stated as he battled the massive green woman. "As soon as your defenses are down, you'll be stoned!" Gray Gargoyle added before realizing what he just said. "Err, I mean turned to stone, not using illicit drugs or…..." Gray Gargoyle trailed off as the distraction gave She-Hulk a chance to deck him across the jaw knocking him out.

"You talk to much." She-Hulk commented before glancing over at Mental Boy and Thor. "Want to give Whirlwind the scare of his life?"

"You know it." Mental Boy responded before they made their way over to Ant Man and the Wasp's battle.

*meanwhile*

"Drat, I've lost Blue Streak!" Captain America commented as he looked around for the roller blade wearing villain. "He couldn't have gotten far, I should join the others." Captain America decided before turning back and returning to the site of the battle but not before taking the call from Iron Man.

"Thank god he left." Blue Streak muttered under his breath as he escaped down a nearby alley, by now Captain America was long gone but he knew that he wasn't in the clear. "Maybe I should've joined Blackout at the Bar with No Name, would've been a lot less painful."

"Don't worry." A homeless man responded as he stood up and Blue Streak turned to him. "The villains at that meeting will join you soon." The homeless man added before producing a shotgun and shooting Blue Streak through the chest killing the villain on the spot. "Justice is served, Blue Streak!"

"Gibson, we have a situation." Target's voice rang out and Shaun put a hand to his earpiece. "Kara got captured after she executed the Termite, you know what to do."

"Right, do what you should've done after her first fuckup." Shaun responded as he ditched the disguise and threw it in the trash. "What about Shocker? The first group must've captured him by now!"

"They did, if need by prioritize killing Shocker but try not to be caught." Target responded, and Shaun nodded in response. "As for the meeting at the bar, consider it dealt with."

"Understood." Shaun responded before he made his way to the escape vehicle.

*later, back with the first group*

Aside from Termite all the villains that had escaped the Raft and had now been taken to NYPD for temporary holding until a more permanent home could be found for them, either once power had been restored to the Raft or another holding facility had been made available.

" _Can't believe I just did that."_ Kat thought as she sat atop the rooftop of NYPD with the other heroes from group one who had mostly been talking among themselves. _"Battling that many dangerous villains and doing it without Marco's help and alongside several veteran heroes? Yeah, I'd consider that a good day."_

"Hey kid, mind if I join you?" Hawkeye asked, and she looked up before shrugging allowing him to sit next to Kat. "Sorry if I was a bit of a jackass back there but you saw how dangerous the villains were."

"And I'm sorry for snapping at you." Kat sighed as she turned to the older hero. "Never worked alongside anyone other than Mental Boy since I got my costume and I wasn't even sure how it was going to go."

"I'd say you did all right." Hawkeye responded before they noticed that the other heroes were now talking without their masks and Kat hesitated. "What? Shy about being mask less around other heroes?"

"Nah, that's just another thing I haven't done with anyone other than Marco, or Mental Boy as you know him." Kat responded before taking off her mask and setting it aside. "Guess there's a first time for everything."

"Yeah, I guess." Hawkeye nodded before removing his mask. "Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye."

"Katrina Sheng Lao, my friends and family call me Kat for short." Kat said as she accepted the handshake. "Alias, Dragon Girl."

"So, when exactly did you get your wings?" Hawkeye asked as he glanced at them. "I don't remember you having these things when you and Mental Boy came onto the scene."

"I have to admit, I was wondering the same thing." Spider-Man chimed in as he approached the two. "Sorry, couldn't help but overhear, I know you told me you were a mutant last time we met Kat, but I don't remember the wings."

"Would you believe these things sprouted overnight?" Kat asked as she glanced towards the wings and the two older heroes raised an eyebrow. "Basically, I was getting back pain for reasons I couldn't explain, went to the doctor, got told that my powers were evolving, and this was the end result, it also put an end to my potential career in athletics because there's no explaining this away once I get caught, and yeah, there is a way to remove them."

"Why not go for it?" Spider-Man asked, and Kat shook her head.

"The surgery in question has a one percent chance of succeeding and a ninety nine percent chance of paralyzing me for life." Kat explained, and the two older heroes winced as it set in. "Need I say more? I've taken to wearing long coats in my civilian identity just to hide these things."

"Sorry to break up the pity parry." Iron Man commented, and the heroes looked up seeing he and Daredevil were wearing their masks again and the three heroes put their masks back on. "The chief wants a chat with us, about the Scourge agent we captured."

"Hopefully she stays alive longer than the Scourge agent I captured last week." Kat commented as she stood up and followed the heroes into the precinct.

*elsewhere*

Whilst that was going on with the heroes, an entirely different scene was happening just down the block from the police station.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Shaun Gibson thanked the bound and gagged policemen as he shouted some muffled choice words at the criminal. "Rest assured Officer Banks, justice will be served today." Shaun added as he finished putting on his uniform and glanced towards the police officer. "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure someone will find you in this alley, frankly I don't care if it's a villain and they see you as an easy target." Shaun added before walking towards the police station.

*a bit later*

The talk with the police chief had basically boiled down too him thanking the heroes and telling them to keep up the good work but now the heroes were hanging around the precinct planning their next move as they still had villains to round up.

" _At least it's just guys like Boomerang and Overdrive left, wonder how Cap will divide the teams to deal with them."_ Kat thought as she poured herself a glass of water from the water cooler and took a sip. _"Well, regardless I am moving up in the Superhero world, I'm making allies with established heroes, taking on some major league bad guys and Speed Demon and my parents are safe, can this get any better?"_

"And to think, I was worried about you going into super heroics." Kat looked up and saw Howard approaching her with a proud look on his face. "And now look at you and the company you keep, I'm so proud of you Kat."

"Thanks dad." Kat responded with a grin on her face as Howard helped himself to a glass of water. "Any word on where the villains will be taken?"

"It seems that they will be temporarily held at Ryker's Island until power is restored at the Raft, until then they will be kept in Solitary to keep the other prisoners safe." Howard responded, and Kat nodded in understanding. "I'd better go check on them, but you have a bright future as a hero Kat, don't forget it." Howard added before he walked off and Kat grinned before returning to the other heroes.

*meanwhile*

"Hey pig, can you cut out that damn whistling!" Shocker, now out of his costume and in his civilian guise as Herman Schultz, called out to the policemen as he approached the villain's cell, the policemen ignored him as he neared the cell and stopped in front of him. "Seems I finally got your attention."

"Stop your whining Shocker!" Rhino growled as he glanced up at Shocker. "You'll soon be far away from him and his whistling!"

"Well, that's where your right." The policemen responded not noticing that Howard had entered the cell blocks as he reached for his gun. "You have escaped justice for too long Schultz, and the Scourge of the Underworld is here to collect his payment."

"Hah, you gotta be joking!" Herman responded with a scoff as he glared at the policemen. "No Scourge is so dumb to announce his presence like that!"

"Are you sure?" Shaun asked before pulling his gun and getting ready to fire at the defenseless villain.

"What are you doing?!" Shaun looked up and saw Howard marching up to the Scourge and Shaun turned to him. "He's in our custody, he's no threat!"

"Do I look like I care?" Shaun asked casually as he clicked the gun and quickly realizing what was about to happen Howard charged at the Scourge agent and tackled him as he tried to get the gun away from him.

"What's going on?" Kat's voice rang out as she looked in the holding cells and saw the scene unfolding before her.

"Kat, stay back, he's got a gun!" Howard warned her as he turned his attention away from Shaun.

And then a single gunshot rang out causing time to slow down for Kat, the two men were motionless for a moment as the shock set in before eventually Howard rolled onto his back with a bullet wound to his chest. "Dad?" Kat asked weakly as she started to process the scene in her mind.

"What's going on now?!" Jenny's annoyed voice rang out as she rounded the corner, however once she put two and two together her eyes widened. "Kat get out of here, I'll handle this." Jenny whispered to the teen who reluctantly nodded before leaving the cell block and without a second thought Jenny approached with her gun drawn. "Put the gun down, now!"

"I…. I didn't mean to shoot him!" Shaun stated panickily as he backed up against the wall with his hands still on the smoking gun. "I swear to god! The gun just went off!"

"I said put the gun down, now!" Jenny shouted getting the attention of several other cops whose eyes widened when they saw Howard. "I'm not going to say this again!"

" _It's over, even if I don't get shot on the spot the moment Target finds out I killed a cop, I'm done!"_ Shaun thought as tears ran down his eyes. "Please tell that cop's family that I apologize." Shaun said simply before putting the gun to his head.

"Sir don't!" Jenny called out to him as he went to pull the trigger.

"Justice is served, Scourge." Shaun whispered before pulling the trigger and blowing his brains out.


	13. Tears of a Dragon

Whilst that was going on at NYPD group two where just wrapping up as the villains that they had battled were being escorted into the police vans.

"Guys, if I ever volunteer to take on four villains with Super Strength again, feel free to let Captain America throw his shield at me!" Marco groaned as he plopped down on a nearby bench and the older heroes laughed. "I'm serious, you guys have been giving me props for handling it so well but that was not fun!"

"Unfortunately, you'll have to get used to that in this line of work Marco." Ant Man responded with a reassuring grin and Marco frowned. "Just be glad you haven't run into the Hulk yet."

"Please, for the love of god, don't jinx that, that's something that has been haunting my nightmares since I got my powers." Marco groaned as he ran a hand through his hair whilst Captain America returned. "Any sign of Blue Streak?"

"He must've gotten away from me." Captain America responded as he shook his head. "We'll find him eventually, in the meantime we've got more villains to round up."

"No rest for the weary." Marco sighed to himself as Captain America got a call over his earpiece. "I don't know how you guys do this for so long, I'm still learning about the extent of powers and that was my hardest fight to date."

"It gets easier over time Marco." Wasp reassured him, and Marco grinned. "Don't get discouraged."

"If I was that easily discouraged I wouldn't be here." Marco responded before Captain America turned to him with a grim look on his face. "Something's happened, hasn't it Cap?" Marco asked, and the other heroes turned to the leader of the group as he pushed through the crowd of heroes and knelt next to Marco.

"That was Iron Man, Howard Lao has been shot and he is in critical condition at Mercy General." Captain America responded, and Marco's eyes widened when he heard that. "Katrina was the only witness."

"Oh shit…." Marco trailed off before standing up and grabbing his glider before powering it up. "I need to go, keep me posted on any developments." Marco added as he put his helmet on and before any of the heroes could say anything he flew off as fast as he could.

"Marco, wait!" Wasp called out to him but by that point he was long gone. "Something you're not telling us Cap?"

"Katrina is Dragon Girl's real name, and Howard Lao is her father." Captain America explained, and the other heroes' expressions turned grim when it hit them. "I just hope that they can save him."

*a bit earlier*

"I always said that I'd stop by his wife's restaurant someday." Reynolds commented to Jenny as the two cops pulled up outside the restaurant, both cops were clearly shaken by what had just transpired over at NYPD and they both shared looks of dread as they approached the front entrance. "I never thought it was going to be under these circumstances."

"Neither did I Malcom, but Kat needs all the support she can get." Jenny nodded in agreement as she stepped onto the pavement as glanced at the African American cop. "Iron Man was gracious enough to get Captain America to send Marco down to Mercy General, but we still have a job to do."

"At least your chat with IA was quick and painless." Malcom responded, and Jenny nodded in agreement before the two cops entered the restaurant.

"Hi there, welcome to Lin's." The young waitress greeted the two cops as she approached them. "Table for two?"

"Err, no." Malcom responded, and the waitress gave him a confused look. "Can you get the owner? It's about her husband."

"Err, sure." The waitress responded before heading over to the kitchen and having a chat with Lin in Mandarin, neither cop could understand a word they were saying but when Lin instructed the Sous Chef to take over service they knew they had her attention, especially after Lin emerged from the kitchen.

"Lin, do you have somewhere quiet where we can talk?" Malcom asked once Lin was close enough.

"Of course, follow me." Lin responded with a nod before leading the two cops into the house, once she closed the door behind her she turned to the two cops.

"Lin, I'm sorry, your husband was shot in the line of duty." Jenny explained, and Lin's eyes widened as it sunk in. "Your daughter was the only witness, he's in critical condition over at Mercy General, if you want we can drive you there."

"Yes, please do." Lin responded as she took off her apron and put her jacket on. "How is Katrina?"

"An emotional mess, she could use your support right now." Malcom responded, and Lin nodded before they left the house.

*at Mercy General*

The waiting room at Mercy General was deadly silent as it was filled with both cops and Superheroes waiting for news on Howard as the surgeons worked tirelessly to save his life, and right at the center of it all was Katrina who had stopped by her home to get changed into her civilian gear before following the ambulance and to say that the eighteen year old girl was distraught was an understatement.

" _This…. this has to be a nightmare, right?"_ Kat thought as she looked around the waiting room, some cops were giving her sympathetic glances whilst the others where talking amongst themselves trying to keep their minds off what just transpired. _"Yeah, I must've fell asleep at NYPD or something, there's no way this can be real, right?"_ Kat thought before pinching herself and unfortunately confirming her worst fears. _"Oh god, it is real! Dad, please just make it through this!"_

"Kat!" Kat looked up and saw Marco running up to her and she could quickly tell that he had just gotten the news himself, her boyfriend ran up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's okay Kat, he'll make it! Your old man's as tough as they come!"

"I hope your right." Kat responded with a sad sigh as Marco pulled out of the hug and sat down next to her. "I didn't think we were going to meet up again under these circumstances."

"Tell me about it, don't worry though I'll be here if you need me." Marco responded and Kat grinned, a few seconds later her mother showed up and Kat lowered her head when she saw the look on her face.

"Mom, I…..." Kat trailed off as her mother approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." Lin assured her daughter as she sat next to her and Kat let out a deep sigh. "Your father's in good hands, he'll make it."

"I hope so mom." Kat said her mother comforted her. _"I should've acted quicker, I should've helped dad get that gun away from the Scourge agent but no! I had to stand by and watch as my dad got shot! At least he's in good hands."_ Kat thought and after a few minutes one of the surgeons emerged from the operating table and approached her. "How's dad?"

"We did everything we could for your father." The surgeon responded and the tone of voice the surgeon used filled Kat with dread. "But it wasn't enough, I'm sorry, Howard died on the operating table."

"What?" Kat whispered as it sank in and a quick glance around the waiting room confirmed her worst fears, not only had she heard it but everyone else in the room had as well.

"Kat, I…." Marco never finished his sentence as he saw his girlfriend get up and run out of the hospital waiting room, it took him a few minutes to sink in before he stood up.

"Leave her kid." Marco looked up and realized that Hawkeye was talking to him. "She just got the worst shock of her life, she'll need some time to herself."

"But I…" Marco trailed off before sitting back down, a quick glance over at Lin confirmed that Kat's mom was taking the news hard as well. "I'm worried, that she's going to do something stupid out of grief."

"Normally, I'd disagree, she seems like a smart kid." Hawkeye nodded in agreement as he folded his arms. "But I was there when it happened, it was like her whole world came tumbling down, best we can do for her is give her the support she needs."

*elsewhere*

News of Howard's death hadn't made the news yet so the cops that remained at NYPD where still in the dark about what had happened, that didn't mean that they were deterred from carrying out their jobs.

"Let me spell it out for you Kara." Malcom said as he stood across from the female Scourge agent in the interrogation room alongside Jenny who now had a defense attorney with her. "Your associate Shaun Gibson shot a cop through the chest and committed suicide, there isn't anyone left to come after you, what's stopping you from flipping on Target?"

"I told you before, the moment I talk to you about him, I'm dead!" Kara responded as she folded her arms. "I don't know anything that can help you anyway! No one knew who Target was under his mask, he just showed up one day and brought us together!"

"You really expect us to believe that someone as good a shot as you say he is just showed up out of the blue?" Jenny asked with a skeptical look on her face. "No one becomes that good over night Kara! Who trained him? Where did he come from? CIA? FBI? SHIELD? We are trying to help you, but we need any info you have on Target! And for that matter, what's his real name?"

"And if I knew that I'd tell you." Kara responded before her attorney put his hand up.

"Look, whoever this Target character is, my client has no clue, but in exchange for murder in the second degree for the murders of Blare and Termite and attempted manslaughter in the hit on Chemistro she can lead you or any Superhero to their headquarters." The lawyer responded, and Jenny and Malcolm shared looks. "I know you are about to say that that is up to the DA but what choice do you have? Prosecute one Scourge agent or go after the whole organization?" The lawyer added and before either cop could respond there was a knock at the door and in stepped the captain who looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Reynolds, Steele, outside, now." The captain said, and the two cops left the interrogation room before closing the door behind them. "You have no idea how much I hate to tell you this, Lao died on the operating table."

"What?!" Jenny asked as her eyes widened, and Malcom's jaw dropped. "How's the family?!"

"Devastated, Lin's been crying her eyes out nonstop, and Kat?" The captain said as he lowered his head. "She was last seen running out of the hospital with tears in her eyes, I hate to think of what's going through that poor girl's head right now but what I hate more is that the bastard responsible killed himself, meaning there's no way we can get justice for him."

"There is one way." Jenny said once the shock wore off and she motioned for Malcom to follow her back into the interrogation room which he did so. "Guess what Kara? We're about to add another murder count, murder in the first degree, and no deal for the other murders."

"Wait, what?!" Kara asked as her eyes widened. "But I only killed Termite and Blare! Unless Chemistro has suddenly died of a heart attack I don't see how you can pin anything on me!"

"That's where your wrong, that cop your associate shot?" Malcom asked, and Kara hesitated before nodding. "He just died on the operating table leaving behind his wife and his eighteen-year-old daughter! And I'm sure the DA will charge you as an accessory for that murder!"

"Are you even listening to yourselves?!" The lawyer asked as he stared at the two cops in shock. "I'm sorry that your colleague died and I'm sorry for his family, but you have no basis for this! This is just a ploy to get my client to flip!"

"Do you really think so? Shaun Gibson might be dead, and the murders of Styx and Stone officially solved but unless we find Target we're pinning all the Scourge murders on you." Jenny commented as she folded her arms. "That's eleven counts of murder Kara, not counting the ones you committed, the last time the DA had a successful case against someone like that he got sentenced to eleven consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole, unless you talk you will die in prison!"

"Okay! Okay, I'll talk!" Kara said as she ran a hand down her face. "I just wanted to learn how to defend myself, I didn't realize how far I'd go! He's in Woodstock!"

"Woodstock?" Malcom asked with a confused look on his face. "That's a small town, what could Target possibly want there?"

"How about a recreation of the Bar with No Name Massacre?" Kara asked, and the two cops shared a look. "The guy running the Bar with No Name up there has called a meeting to discuss the Scourge threat, last I checked it had attracted the attention of five Supercriminals, Daddy Long Legs, Gypsy Moth, Blackout, Joystick, Eel, and that's just for starters." Kara said as her eyes narrowed. "And he plans to kill them all."

"Target?" Malcom asked, and Kara nodded. "We'll notify the state police and have them conduct a raid on the bar, I bet that'll be the only time those criminals will ever be glad to see the police."

"If they get there on time." Kara responded as she watched the two cops leave.

*later elsewhere in the city*

It had been a few hours since Howard's death but for his daughter, it felt like an eternity had passed since she had gotten the news.

" _No, no! This can't be happening! It can't!"_ Kat thought as she sat atop a random rooftop in the city, she wasn't even sure where she was in the city as she had been flying so long that she had lost track of her location with the only thing she knew for certain being that she was still in the city limits. _"It's a nightmare, it has to be, my dad can't be dead!"_ Kat thought before clenching a fist and punching the rooftop as hard as she could out of anger and grief causing a large dent in it. "WHY CAN'T I WAKE UP FROM THIS DAMN NIGHTMARE ALREADY?!" Kat finally let out a scream of anger as she took several deep breaths.

"Believe me, I bet your not the only one who wants to wake up Kat." A familiar voice rang out and she looked up seeing Iron Man, She Hulk and Captain America standing behind her. "Your mother's worried sick about you." She-Hulk added, and Kat let out another deep breath.

"I…...I couldn't have been gone that long, right?" Kat asked after taking several deep breaths and the three older heroes shook their heads. "Right?"

"Kat, you've been gone for four hours." Captain America responded, and Kat's eyes widened at that. "We were willing to give you space but after so much time had passed? We were worried that you were going to put yourself at risk."

"I…" Kat trailed off as the tears started to come out again and the three heroes approached her. "I just want to wake up and know that this is just a terrible nightmare."

"The first step towards recovery is acceptance Kat." Captain America responded as he knelt next to the teen. "I'm sorry for your loss, but your mother needs you now, more than ever."

"Yeah, your right." Kat sighed to herself as she stood up and the other two heroes walked up to her. "Ugh, it's not fair! He was the first one who accepted me for who I am after my mutant powers awakened and now he's dead!"

"Look Kat, if you want to vent we'll lend an ear." Iron Man offered, and Kat looked at him skeptically. "Would you rather vent to us or your mother? After all she's been through tonight, that would be the last thing she needs."

"Can't argue with that." Kat admitted as she leaned against the nearby air vent. "I don't even know where to start, it's still a blur in my head."

"Take your time, we left the rounding up of the remaining villains to the other heroes." Captain America responded with a sympathetic look on his face and Kat nodded. "Besides, we've been around a lot longer than you, me especially, so who better to vent too?"

"Yeah, true." Kat admitted as she ran both hands through her hair. "Anywhere I can vent in private? Last thing I need is some villain overhearing me and deciding to take advantage."

"Funny you should ask that." Captain America responded before pushing a button and to Kat's surprise the Quinjet showed up right above the heroes. "How do you think we found you so quickly?"

"I'm just wondering how I failed to notice a jet flying over my head just now." Kat deadpanned as she stared at the jet.

"Just so we're clear, this doesn't mean your back on the internship, still got a way to go in that department." Iron Man commented, and Kat's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Cap, if he brings that up again, do me a favor and put him in a sparing contest with She-Hulk." Kat responded, and Iron Man scoffed. "Without his armor."

"And that's my cue to shut up." Iron Man responded before the four heroes stepped onto the jet.

*later*

It had been a long talk but now Kat was ready for the heart to heart with her mother, she had initially opted to walk home but after twenty minutes Jenny had seen her as she drove home on her way home from work and had offered her a lift.

"Thanks for the lift Jenny." Kat sighed as she got out of the car and Jenny nodded. "Normally I would've flown home but, well, you know."

"Don't worry, I understand." Jenny nodded in understanding as she put a hand on the teens shoulder. "And I'm sorry for your loss, your father was a good man."

"Thanks, I just wish that I had tried to break up the fight." Kat responded as she lowered her head before glancing up at the restaurant. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep my mom waiting any longer."

"Sure, I'll see you around." Jenny nodded before hopping in her car and driving off, Kat let out a deep breath before she approached the front entrance of the long-closed restaurant.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Kat looked up and saw Marco sitting on the roof in his civilian gear. "You have any idea how long I've been sitting up here Kat? I've been freezing my ass off."

"Sorry, but after everything that's happened I needed some time alone." Kat sighed as she looked at the ground, without a second thought she flew up to the roof and sat next to her boyfriend. "I kept telling myself that it was a nightmare and that I was going to wake up at any second, it took a frank discussion with Cap, Iron Man and She-Hulk for reality to set in." Kat added as a tear ran down her cheek. "I can't believe he's gone!"

"Believe me, I know, I felt the same way when my mom died." Marco said with a sympathetic nod as he glanced at the Chinese girl. "Hell, if I can be honest? Everyone's been worried about you since you ran out of the hospital."

"Yeah, I got that impression when Cap, Iron Man and She-Hulk went out of their way to track me down." Kat responded with a sigh as she glanced towards the sky. "You know how religious my family is right? Well, all I can think off is how far away heaven is and that no matter how high I fly up, I'll never see my dad alive again."

"Have you been listening to the Offspring?" Marco asked with a curious look on his face and Kat gave him a confused look. "Because you just partially quoted their song "Gone Away"."

"Just a coincidence, I mean you're the one who listens to rock and metal exclusively." Kat responded with a shrug and Marco nodded. "I'll probably look up that song on YouTube later, but I think I've made mom wait long enough." Kat added before hopping off the roof and using her flying abilities to slow down her fall. "Are you coming in?"

"It's late enough as it is, and I need to get home." Marco responded as he checked the time on his phone. "How about we continue this talk when we go on patrol tomorrow? It's not like you couldn't use it."

"I'm not about to argue with that." Kat nodded in agreement as Marco grabbed his glider and hopped on. "Just don't be surprised if I come out for patrol later than usual, unless mom sorted it out already I still have to help sort through dad's stuff for the Salvation Army."

"No worries, I'll see you tomorrow." Marco responded before he took off on his glider and Kat took a deep breath before entering the restaurant using her key.

"Restaurant's closed, come back tomorrow." Lin's voice rang out as Kat entered the deserted restaurant and a quick look around by Kat helped her locate her mother as she was mopping the floor, without a word Kat stepped forward with her hands in her jacket pockets. "I said the restaurant's closed, come back…." Lin finally looked up and saw her daughter at which point she dropped the mop and ran up to Kat before hugging her daughter tightly, it took Kat a second to respond before she returned the hug. "My little angel, you had me so worried when you didn't return home!"

"I know mom, and I'm sorry I worried you." Kat sighed as the two women broke off the hug. "I was flying around for so long that I just lost track of time, it wasn't until Cap, She-Hulk and Iron Man caught up with me that I realized how long I'd been out for." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "I still can't believe he's gone."

"Don't worry, I'll be there for you every step of the way." Lin assured her daughter and Kat grinned at that. "Come, you must be starving! At least let me make you something to eat." Lin offered, and Kat went to object until she heard her stomach rumble.

"I'm not about to say no to that." Kat responded sheepishly before her mom lead her to the family kitchen. _"I just hope that I can do my dad proud in these coming days, but until then, mom needs me more than ever."_ Kat thought as she followed her mother into the family kitchen.

*later*

Kat and her mother had had a long heart to heart over a delicious home cooked meal but by now it was time for Kat to go to bed, even so the teenager couldn't get to sleep even an hour after getting ready for it.

" _When I first got my powers, I thought it was going to be an easy ride from then on."_ Kat thought as she sat up in her bed and looked at herself in the mirror, her wings were folded to her sides but for once those weren't what was keeping her awake that night. _"That I'd still be able to continue my athletics career with my dad supporting me."_ Kat thought as she ran both hands through her hair. _"And now both of those ideas are out the window, why? Why can't I just have a normal life outside of my Superhero identity?!"_ Kat thought as tears of frustration started to well up, she glanced around the room and spotted two things on the dresser closest to her bed.

The first thing was an old photo taken from when Kat was ten years old, Kat walked over to the photo for a better look and quickly recognized it as it was a picture that her mother had taken of Kat and Howard after Kat had won her first athletics competition, the other thing was her phone which she picked up and started looking through absentmindedly until she came across a video taken from a week before the move to New York, without thinking Kat quickly grabbed her earphones, plugged them in and one the earbuds were in she hit play. "Kat, I'm ready when you are." Howard's voice rang out and the tears started welling up again as she watched the video.

"Hold on Howard, her hair's still too messy." Lin responded as she started to brush Kat's hair and Kat shook her head as she watched her past-self let out an annoyed huff. "There you go, my little angel's ready!"

"Mom, you know how much I hate that nickname!" Kat's past-self responded with an annoyed look on her face and Kat couldn't help but shake her head again as her past-self realized she was on camera. "Hey Facebook! Well, it's official, we're moving to New York City next week and I'll be spending my final year of High School at Mid-Town High! I'm so excited, I've always wanted to live in New York proper!"

" _Oh, how naïve I was."_ Kat thought as she shook her head at her past-self's enthusiasm. _"I can't even remember whose idea it was to do this Live Video, so much has happened since then."_

"But that's not the best part, isn't it Kat?" Howard responded, and the teen grinned broadly in response.

"Yep, I've already got several offers for athletic scholarships for when I go to college!" Kat's past-self responded as she held up the printed e-mails for the camera and Kat let out a deep sigh as she watched the video. "As soon as I start with Mid-Town I'll be signing up for their track team and from there, who knows?"

" _Who knows indeed."_ Kat thought as she glanced at her wings absentmindedly, her dad's investigation into why she had been pulled from the track team had wielded positive results as it turned out that the coach had acted without the school board's permission and was a member of several online mutant hate groups. _"If Styx hadn't killed him he would've lost his job in a heartbeat, not that it matters as these things mean I can't pursue my dreams."_

"I'm so proud of you Kat." Howard responded, and the teen grinned broadly. "I know you'll do me and your mother proud, you can only go up from here!" It was at that point that Kat couldn't watch the video anymore and she turned off her phone and put it on the bedside table once she had removed her earphones.

" _Do my dad proud, that's what I've been trying to do ever since I got my powers!"_ Kat thought as she lay down on her bed and glanced up at her trophies. _"Have I done enough? I've fought The Vulture, Rhino, Shocker, Jack O'Lantern and other big-name baddies since I donned my costume for the first time, but dad always had such high expectations of me, now that he's gone, how do I know that I can even live up to them?!"_ Kat thought before finally going to sleep.

*meanwhile outside the restaurant*

"Okay guys listen up!" The leader of the protest group that had been a thorn in Kat's side since she outed herself as a mutant said as he addressed the crowd. "This mutie still hasn't gotten the message that she doesn't belong here! I say we make an example of her!"

"Are you sure Mark?" One of the protestors asked and the leader turned to him. "She might be a mutie, but her dad just got killed…"

"I don't care, mutants are a plague on society and I say we burn this place down!" Mark responded, and the crowd cheered before they heard a loud thud a bit further into the side-alley and they looked up. "Something must've fallen over! Forget it!"

"That must've been pretty heavy to make a loud noise like that." Another protestor pointed out and Mark shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe it's an old TV or something." Mark responded before a huge figure emerged from the shadows. "Now as I was saying, DOWN WITH MUTANTS! DOWN WITH…" Mark's chant trailed off and took all the color from his face in the process when the figure finally stepped out of the shadows. "OH SHIT! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Mark shouted and once the other protestors saw what he had seen they couldn't get out of the alley fast enough.

"Hulk no like baddies!" The Incredible Hulk said with a growl as he watched the protestors flee. "HULK SMASH BADDIES!" Hulk added before leaping away to another part of the city.


	14. Big Green Giant

Whilst Kat was struggling to get any sleep at her home the Bar with No Name in Woodstock, New York was a hive of Supervillain activity, however tonight the villains were meeting for a different reason.

"Well, from what I've heard, there aren't that many Scourge agents left." Daddy Long Legs commented before he took a sip from his drink. "I say we storm their headquarters and take out their remaining members!"

"Just because there aren't many Scourge agents left doesn't mean they aren't dangerous." Gypsy Moth pointed out as she leaned forward on the bar. "Most of the original Scourge killings were all committed by one guy, I say we lure one of the remaining agents into a trap and torture him, see what he knows."

"I would be all for that but there's one major flaw in that plan." Eel responded as he folded his arms. "The murders of Blindside and Commanda prove that the Scourge agents aren't afraid to work together to achieve a common goal, if they suspect a trap than they are bound to have to back-up waiting nearby."

"Well, I don't have to worry about them." The Walrus responded earning a collective groan from the other villains who knew what he was about to say. "Because I have the proportionate strength, speed…."

"I swear to god if you finish that sentence the Scourge won't have to bother with you because I would've beaten them too it!" Bloodshed interrupted the "villain" as he glared at the Walrus. "And if we do decide to draw out the Scourge, I say we use this idiot as bait!"

"Guys we shouldn't fight!" Lady Stiltman interrupted the two men as she stood between them. "Don't you see that this is what the Scourge wants?! Besides, I told you that holding a meeting here was a bad idea, we're sitting ducks as long as we stay here!" Lady Stiltman added as the bartender went to retrieve something from behind the bar.

"I can't believe that this generation's version of Stilt-Man is being the voice of reason in this group!" Eel muttered under his breath but before any of the villains could say anything else the door to the bar was kicked down.

"Everyone freeze! Keep your hands where we can see them!" The state police called out as they entered with their weapons drawn and the villains, who had checked their weapons at the door, quickly put their hands up. "Where is he!?"

"Hey, don't look at us!" Daddy Long Legs shouted as he kept his hands up. "I can't speak for my associates, but I haven't committed a crime in months!"

"Not you." The leader of the Swat Team said as they kept their weapons drawn. "The bartender!"

"The bartender?!" Gypsy Moth echoed before turning around. "Guys, he's the Scourge! He's got a gun!"

"Too late, Gypsy Moth!" The bartender responded before opening fire on the villains present in the bar with a machine gun, the next few minutes where so chaotic as the other patrons took cover behind the pool tables or just flat out fled whilst the Swat Team kept their shields up but by the end all six Supervillains lay dead on the barroom floor. "Justice is served, Daddy Long Legs, Gypsy Moth, Eel, The Walrus, Bloodshed and Lady Stilt-Man!"

"Get on the ground, now!" The Swat Team leader demanded as the bartender removed his mask revealing himself to be Target.

"I don't think so!" Target responded before pressing a button and before the Swat Team could react an explosion caused the roof above them to cave in allowing Target to escape out the back door whilst trapping the Swat Team. "Now to deal with Kara." Target added before running off, however back inside the bar one patron had not been so lucky to escape unharmed.

"Ahh, damn it!" The big, burly biker commented as he clutched his stomach in pain. He was a mountain of a man at six foot seven and weighing in at well over three hundred pounds with shoulder length balding brown hair, blue eyes and right now? He was bleeding to death on the bar room floor from a gunshot wound to the stomach. "I can't go out like this! I'm Big Jeff, I was supposed to conquer the world damn it! Even if it means selling my soul I will do anything for another chance!" Someone somewhere had listened to Jeff's cries and before the biker knew it his skin started to turn a crimson red, he grew even teller than he was before, and he bulked up considerably but more importantly the wound had healed and his teeth sharpened to the point that they were almost vampire like.

Slowly the man formerly known as Big Jeff got to his feet and loomed over the bar, one of the other patrons looked up and his eyes widened when he saw him. "What are you?!" The patron asked the demonic biker who turned to him.

"I was Big Jeff, just another biker." Big Jeff responded as he picked up the patron by his neck. "But now? I'm someone new, someone powerful, someone to be feared." Big Jeff added before punching the poor man's head clean off his shoulders killing him instantly. "Call me, the Hellraiser!"

*the next morning*

Kat's peaceful sleep was interrupted by the alarm clock and once she slammed her hand down on the alarm button Kat, who was lying on her stomach, buried her head into the pillow.

"Ugh, if I don't remember to reset that damn clock soon I'm giving it to She-Hulk, so she can use it as a punching bag!" Kat groaned as she heard the radio come on through the alarm clock. "Why did dad even get that thing for me anyway? Marco taught me how to set my phone to wake-up call mode." Kat groaned before sighing. "Then again, dad did buy it for me, maybe I should keep it in his memory."

"In late breaking news, a shootout at the Bar with no Name in Woodstock has left several notorious Supervillains dead and the leader of the Scourge of the Underworld at large." The radio announcer's voice rang out and Kat promptly rolled onto her back before she sat up. "The villains known as Daddy Long Legs, Gypsy Moth, Eel, The Walrus, Bloodshed and Lady Stilt-Man were gunned down late last night as they met to discuss the threat posed to them by the Scourge of the Underworld who, in an incident that mirrored the Bar with No Name Massacre in Medina County, Ohio, was disguised as the Bartender and gunned them down just as police arrived to arrest him."

"Son of a bitch!" Kat exclaimed in anger as she rubbed her tired eyes. "Will dad ever get justice?! Or the villains killed by the Scourge revival for that matter?" Kat muttered as she swung her legs over and got out of bed. _"I've got to be the only person in the city thinking that! Then again, dad did drill into my head that all life was precious."_

"Police are still stumped by the fact that one of the patrons at the bar, a petty criminal called Casey Roberts, was killed by apparent decapitation, an execution method not used in any of the Scourge killings." The radio announcer added catching Kat's attention as she started getting dressed. "The police captain has yet to comment on these events."

" _Probably because that bar's out of the NYPD's jurisdiction."_ Kat thought with a frown as she finished putting her clothes on. _"Well, either the cops find Target, or I will, if I find him I don't think I'd be able to control myself."_ Kat thought before turning off the radio just as there was a knock at the door. "I'm decent." Kat called out as she started brushing her hair and her mother opened the door. "Morning mom don't think I've ever seen you up this early."

"I wanted to get an early start on gathering Howard's things for the Salvation Army." Lin responded, and Kat frowned as she finished brushing her hair. "I know it's been tough Kat, but my back isn't what it used to be, I could really use your help."

"Mom, you didn't even need to ask." Kat responded as she turned to her mother. "Dad was the first one to support me when my mutant powers awakened, it's the least I can do." Kat added before standing up and leaving her bedroom.

*later, elsewhere in the city*

Whilst that was going on at Kat's house things were business as usual for the heroes and villains of New York, for better or worse.

"Run to the Hills…...Run for your Lives…" Marco, well calling it singing would be extremely generous but that was what he was trying to do along to the song Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden, complete with air drumming as he sat on a rooftop in his Mental Boy costume.

"Marco?" Wasp asked as she waved a hand in front of Marco's face whilst Thor and Antman stood behind her with annoyed looks on their faces. "No use, he's in lala land."

"We got called up here because there were reports that someone was torturing cats." Ant-Man grumbled as he folded his arms. "What we found instead is the worst Bruce Dickinson impersonator I've ever heard, if it weren't for the fact that he's a Superhero I would've started throwing rotten tomatoes at him!"

"Hank!" Wasp scolded him, and Ant Man shook his head. "Besides, he's not that bad."

"Not that bad compared to who? William Hung?" Ant Man responded before turning to Thor. "I still don't know why she came along!"

"I happen to like cats." Thor responded with a shrug and Ant Man face-palmed.

"Okay, what song should I sing next." Marco muttered to himself as he looked at his iPod and before Wasp could react Ant Man marched right up to him and took out the ear bud. "What the?"

"Sorry to interrupt your attempts to torture the populace of New York." Ant Man commented, and Marco looked up seeing the three heroes behind him. "But we were hoping for a chat!"

"Ant Man? Wasp? Thor?" Marco asked as he turned around and promptly stood up. "And my singing wasn't that bad Hank!"

"Don't get me started kid, I've already got a headache from arguing with Janet." Ant Man grumbled in response and Wasp gave him a dirty look. "We heard from Cap about what happened with your girlfriend, is she doing okay?"

"Considering she's an eighteen-year-old who just saw her dad get murdered? Pretty well." Marco sighed as he took off his helmet. "She's busy helping her mom out with sorting through her dad's stuff so I'm not expecting her until later."

"I don't blame her, but on the other hand, have you seen this?" Wasp asked as she showed Marco the news report on the massacre and Marco nodded. "Didn't you say that you and Kat were from there?"

"Well, if your want to get pedantic, Kat's from a village in China who's name I can never pronounce correctly and I'm from Naples, Italy but aside from that? Yeah, that's where we grew up." Marco shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the vent. "And yeah, I asked her for the correct pronunciation and it didn't help, anyway, here I thought the most our home town was going to be famous for was either me and Kat coming from there or that music festival back in the 60s but then this came along." Marco added before sighing. "Kat's not going to be happy to know that the guy who ran the Scourge organization got away."

"We'll find this Target character." Thor assured him, and Marco grinned at that. "How hard can it be to find a guy with bullseyes painted on his bodysuit?"

"Did Thor just tell a joke?" Marco asked with a disbelieving look on his face and Ant Man shook his head.

"You should've heard the jokes she was cracking when we found out that we had stumbled upon you singing." Ant Man responded, and Marco frowned as he folded his arms. "What does concern me is that one guy who got his head punched off, pretty sure no Scourge agent has ever displayed that level of strength."

"I was wondering that as well but considering all the witnesses are either dead or in hospital and those bars don't have CCTV for obvious reasons, we'll never find out what exactly happened." Marco nodded in agreement before shuddering. "Worse case scenario? New villain with Superhuman strength, I fought enough of those yesterday thank you very much, best case? Target somehow blew his head off."

"Keep us posted if you find anything out, Captain America's just as concerned as you are about this thing for the exact same reasons." Ant Man responded before the heroes started to leave. "And for the love of god, don't audition for The Voice!"

"I hate that show!" Marco called out to him and Ant Man breathed a sigh of relief before they left.

*later*

It had taken a few hours but with Kat's help her mother had packed away Howard's stuff for the Salvation Army, that just left one thing for Kat to do.

" _First patrol since dad's death."_ Kat thought as she started braiding her hair in front of the mirror, aside from the mask (which was sitting on her bedside table next to her phone) she was wearing the Dragon Girl costume and was getting ready to go out on patrol. _"How hard can it be? It's not like dad was one of my major supporters."_ Kat thought before letting out a sigh as she finished braiding her hair and walked over to the bedside table before there was a knock at the door. "I'm decent." Kat called out and Lin opened the door.

"Kat, I was hoping to catch you before you went out on patrol." Lin commented before seeing her daughter getting ready to go out on patrol. "Or is it too late for that?"

"No, no, you know I'd always make time for you mom." Kat said as she put her hands up before sitting on her bed. "But at the same time, this is something I feel I have to do, dad maybe gone but I still want to get back into my old routine."

"I understand Kat, but I think you'll want to stick around for this." Lin responded with a nod and Kat frowned unsure of what she meant. "I just got off the phone with someone from a life insurance company, apparently Howard knew that there was a chance he'd get killed in the line of duty, so he took out a life insurance policy on himself."

"Did they say how much we'd get?" Kat asked curiously, and Lin shook her head.

"He wouldn't give me the exact details over the phone, but Howard allocated half of it for me and the other half for you." Lin responded, and Kat nodded in response. "He wanted to meet us in person to go over the policy, so I booked an appointment for us to see him next week."

"This almost seems to good to be true." Kat sighed as she glanced at her mother with a skeptical look on her face. "You did make sure that this insurance company is legit and not some scam artist trying to take advantage of a grieving widow, right? Don't get me wrong, I want to be excited for this, but I guess my superhero work has made me a bit cynical about people in general."

"I don't blame you for that Kat, so I looked them up." Lin responded before chuckling. "And yes, I do know how to use a computer young lady, the insurance company is real, in fact its one that most cops on the NYPD's payroll use."

" _And if that company was a scam it'd have been busted by now."_ Kat thought before picking up her mask and putting it on. "I'm still going to miss dad but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel." Kat added before standing up. "I have to get going, I did promise Marco I'd meet with him about…." Kat trailed off before checking the time on her phone. "Fifteen minutes ago, crap, at least I told him that I'd likely be late due to the Salvation Army stuff."

"I'm surprised that he isn't used to you being late for everything." Lin commented with a grin and Kat shook her head.

"Yeah, well, the fact that I've stopped wearing make-up under my mask means that I'm out the door a lot faster than I used to be." Kat responded before she started walking towards the window. "By the way, has a funeral date been set yet?"

"Just need to confer with his extended family before I do set it, they are flying in from China to be at the funeral." Lin responded, and Kat nodded before Lin sighed. "And please, be safe Katrina. I've already lost my husband and I don't want to lose my daughter as well."

"Don't worry mom, I'll be safe." Kat responded with a reassuring grin before opening the window, so she could fly out. "I mean, all the villains who were at The Raft are back at The Raft, not counting the ones killed by the Scourge of the Underworld off course, what's the worst that can happen?" Kat asked before she flew out.

*later*

It had taken her twenty minutes, but Kat finally located Marco on a rooftop in Queens as the teen was watching something on his phone, as Kat swooped in for a landing she was relieved that he wasn't singing along to anything as she approached him.

"Hello? Earth to Marco?" Kat asked as she waved a hand in front of her boyfriend's face. "Guess you won't be hearing the hot details of my lip locking session with She-Hulk then."

"Huh? What?" Marco asked as he snapped out of it and Kat gave him a knowing grin as he turned to her. "Very funny Kat, besides, considering the height difference between you and She-Hulk I'm pretty sure you'd need a ladder or She-Hulk carrying you for you to reach up that high." Marco added, and Kat grinned as she leaned against the vent. "You sure you want to do this? I mean, you weren't exactly in the best shape mentally yesterday for obvious reasons."

"If by that you mean "am I past the five stages of grief" then yeah, I am." Kat nodded in response as she folded her arms. "Haven't ran into any of the heroes I met yesterday but my main concern right now is trying to get back into my old routine now that dad's gone."

"At least you won't be doing it alone." Marco responded before looking at his phone again. "How far away is Woodstock from New York again?"

"Two hours and thirty minutes by car, don't have a clue about how quickly I'd get there by flying." Kat shrugged her shoulders after thinking for a moment as she glanced around. "Why?"

"There's been some strange reports of a demonic biker in leather riding around on an equally demonic bike." Marco responded as he showed her the report. "And no, I haven't been watching to many metal music videos, might be worth looking into."

"I'd rather focus on finding Target and bringing him to justice, and that's if he returned to New York after the Bar with No Name Massacre: Woodstock edition." Kat responded as she leaned back. "With his actual killer dead, that would be the closest thing to justice for my dad I could get."

"Well, if worst comes to worst, you could always enlist Punisher's help." Marco shrugged his shoulders not noticing Kat's eyes narrowing as she removed her mask. "You know, fight fire with fire? And that guy probably has the resources to track down Target's location…..." Marco never finished his sentence as Kat span him around with a pissed off look on her face.

"Are you insane?!" Kat interrupted him, and Marco winced at her angry tone of voice as he turned to her. "My dad taught me that all life is precious, and you suggest that I team up with a guy whose hobbies include killing criminals?!"

"I'm just saying that as a possible worst-case scenario." Marco winced as Kat glared at him. "Look, I know you want to honor your dad's memory, but I don't see any other way of bringing the guy who employed your dad's killer to justice!"

"There are lots of ways that I can think off, it just so happens that teaming up with The Punisher is the last thing I'd try!" Kat snapped at him before turning her back on him. "Extract!" Kat added as the wings unfolded before she put her mask back on.

"Wait, Kat, where are you going?!" Marco asked, and she glanced at him.

"Away from you!" Kat responded and without another word Kat flew off in a random direction.

" _Real smooth Marco, you just managed to piss off your smoking hot girlfriend in the worst way possible!"_ Marco thought as he kicked the air vent in frustration, after a few minutes he put a hand to his earpiece. "Cap, it's me."

"Marco? What's going on? You sound stressed." Captain America asked, and Marco took a deep breath.

"Me and Kat were just talking when I suggested that she enlist The Punisher's help in tracking down Target." Marco responded and whilst he couldn't see Captain America he could hear him face-palming. "She was talking about bringing him to justice and…"

"You suggested that she dishonor her dad's memory by teaming with someone known for killing criminals?" Captain America asked with an exasperated sigh and Marco nodded. "Do you know where she is now?"

"No, she flew off in a random direction before I could apologize." Marco sighed as he sat down on the air vent. "And now I'm really worried that she's going to do something reckless out of anger, anything you can do to help?"

"Well, if she was still on the internship I'd call her and try to calm her down, unfortunately we confiscated her earpiece when she was dropped from the program and the one she used during the breakout was given back by Iron Man." Captain America responded with a frown and Marco nodded. "I'll ask around the other heroes to keep an eye out for her and if they do find Kat try to talk sense into her before she gets in over her head, in the meantime Marco I suggest that you start working on an apology immediately."

"Even if that means taking her out for a meal?" Marco asked at which point Iron Man chimed in.

"I happen to know a swanky new restaurant in town that'll do just the trick." Iron Man added, and Marco sighed.

"Is it within a high school student's budget?" Marco asked, and Iron Man paused.

"Okay, I'll try to think of a different restaurant." Iron Man conceded, and Marco grinned. "Just don't take her to McDonalds, I think that would make the situation worse."

"We hate that place anyway." Marco responded before hanging up. _"I've been trying to get together with Kat since we hit puberty and what do I do two weeks into our relationship?"_ Marco thought with a sigh as he got the glider out and powered it up. _"Disrespect her dad's memory literally one day after this death! I know she'll come around because she told me herself that she wanted to be my girlfriend for just as long but still!"_ Marco thought before hopping on the glider and flying off.

*later elsewhere in the city*

After flying around for a while Kat eventually settled on a rooftop near main street and let out a deep breath, the fly around the city had calmed her down considerably but the Chinese girl was still angry at Marco for even suggesting that.

" _Seriously Marco, we talked about that on our first day of school and you still suggested it?!"_ Kat thought with an annoyed sigh as she got her phone out and checked her timeline. _"If he tries to message me I'll ignore him, hell I may as well turn off the phone, not like I'll get any Wi-Fi reception up here!"_ Kat thought before sighing. _"Maybe I need something to just take my anger out on, I could bust up a bank robbery but that would just put the criminals in hospital at best!"_ Kat thought before glancing up at the sky. _"Could really use a sign right now!"_

"In breaking news, the Hulk has been sighted on a rampage in downtown New York." Kat overheard a news station report from a nearby television shop and flew down for a better look. "Police strongly advise all residents to remain indoors until the threat has been contained by SHIELD or the Avengers, the Hulk is to be considered extremely dangerous."

" _Well, I asked for a sign and I got it."_ Kat thought as she looked at the carnage on the screen. _"At least this way SHIELD and the Avengers won't have to get their hands dirty, besides, how hard can it be to take on the Hulk?"_ Kat thought before she started flying off in the direction that the anchorman had mentioned. _"I wanted to do my dad proud, maybe this is what I need to do! Just got to follow the carnage left by the Hulk!"_ Kat thought before flying off.

*later*

It didn't take Kat long to figure out where the Hulk was as he was wreaking havoc near where she and the other heroes had fought against Rhino, Shocker, Electro, Jack O'Lantern and Speed demon yesterday, the second step was figuring out where exactly the Hulk was.

And all that took was the sound of the Hulk's signature roar as he continued to wreak havoc, without a second thought Kat followed the sound of the Hulk's voice until she saw the Hulk's looming form in a department store and quickly flew in. "Hey, big green and ugly!" Kat called out to the Hulk as she landed behind him and the Hulk turned around. "I'm pretty sure that store's closed." Kat added, and the Hulk grunted before ignoring her. _**"**_ _Well, this is off to a great start, isn't it?"_ Kat thought sarcastically as she ordered her wings to extract. _"Guess it's up to me to make the first move."_ Kat thought before launching herself into her spinning attack, the Hulk turned around just in time to feel the full force of the attack hit him in the chest sending the green goliath skidding back several feet and into another store before Kat broke out of it and delivered an uppercut for good measure.

And it was then that Kat realized, to her horror, that her strongest attack had barely fazed the Hulk. "You make Hulk angry!"

"This is going to suck on so many levels." Kat gulped with her eyes as wide as dinner plates before the Hulk sent her flying through several walls with a single punch.

"We are reporting live from New York where it appears that a young hero has appeared to challenge the Hulk." The extremely terrified reporter said as she kept a safe distance from the battle site. "We haven't been able to get a good luck at the hero's face but what we can tell you is that it appears to be Dragon Girl."

*meanwhile across town*

"Okay, so run this by me again." Ant Man responded as he messaged his temples in annoyance after Marco had just relayed the last conversation between him and Kat. "At what point did it seem like a remotely good idea to suggest teaming up with the Punisher to track Target down to someone who feels that strongly about killing people?!"

"I was just shooting ideas out there, bad choice of words I know." Marco admitted as he put his hands up defensively. "I had no idea she'd get that pissed off! Wasp, you back me up, right?!"

"Err, no." Wasp responded as she and Thor folded their arms. "You said you've known her since you were kids so if anything, this is on you."

"Look, we can stay here and argue or try to find her before she gets hurt." Thor interrupted them before a call came through on their earpiece. "Thor here."

"Is Marco with you?" Captain America's voice rang out and the three heroes turned to Marco.

"Yeah, I'm here." Marco responded with a nod as he put his hand to earpiece. "What's up…..."

"Explain to me, in detail, why Kat is battling the Hulk." Captain America responded, and all color drained from Marco's face when he heard that.

"Err, what?!" Marco asked as he turned to the other three heroes who shared his look of horror. "I haven't seen or heard from her since our argument, I was just about to leave with Wasp, Thor and Ant Man to try to track her down!"

"Well then." Captain America responded, and Marco waited for his response. "The three of you wouldn't mind going in there and getting Kat out of that mess before she gets killed."

"I would mind, very much so!" Marco responded with a nervous gulp. "I can think of many, many places I'd rather be right now!"

"Well tough." Captain America responded, and Marco gulped. "If I'm right then it was your argument with Kat that got her in this mess, and you're going to get her out of there, I'll send She-Hulk to try to quell Hulk's rampage as well and you'll meet her at these coordinates." Captain America added before hanging up and seconds later they got the coordinates.

"You guys heard that, right?" Marco asked, and the three order heroes nodded. "Hopefully we can get there in time."

"For her sake or for yours?" Ant Man asked as the three heroes started to fly off.

"Both!" Marco responded as they made their way to the battle site.

*back at the battle site*

"Ow, ow." Kat winced as she pushed some rubble that had landed on her from the impact of the Hulk's punch, she had finally stopped several stores down from the Hulk's location and the punch had basically shredded her mask leaving only her bloodied face exposed, however that was the least of her worries. _"My strongest attack, a move that has taken out the likes of Vulture and the Rhino…..."_ Kat's train of though trailed off as she wiped some blood from her cheek. _"And it barely fazed him! I need to get out of here!"_ Kat thought before looking at her wings. _"Thank god my wings are still in one piece. Extract!"_ Kat ordered her wings mentally and as soon as they unfolded she flew out of the building and as high up as she could. _"Okay, I've lost him, getting my mask fixed won't be to much of a hassle and any injuries I've suffered won't take to long to heal with any…"_

"HULK SMASH PUNY DRAGON!" The Hulk's voice rang out from directly above Kat and she had just enough time to turn around see that the Hulk had managed to leap even higher than she could fly.

"Oh, fuck!" Kat muttered as her eyes widened before the Hulk started coming down, on the way down the Hulk grabbed her head and started driving her to the ground whilst Kat threw everything she could at the Hulk from punches and kicks to breathing fire directly on the Hulk's hand.

But in the end, it wasn't enough as the Hulk sent her crashing through a multi-story clothing store causing her to crash through all four stories of the store before finally stopping on the first floor, it was at that point that the Hulk let go of her head and it really sunk in just how much her body ached from that move. "Stay down."

"What?" Kat asked weakly as she pushed herself to her feet.

"You are no threat to Hulk." The Hulk responded as he pointed to the teenager who grit her teeth as she felt her whole-body ache. "Stay down." The Hulk added before walking off in the opposite direction.

" _No threat?!"_ Kat thought as she sat up with a grimace. _"He's right, I'm so far out of my league that it's not even funny! But I can't stay down."_ Kat thought as she forced herself to her feet. _"Dad wouldn't want me to stay down, another Spin Dash might do…..."_ Kat went to fold her wings around her body for her signature move but let out a cry of pain instead as she dropped back to her knees and a quick glance at her wings confirmed her worst fears. _"They're broken?!"_ Kat thought as she looked at the bent, twisted and misshaped forms that were once her wings. _"I can still fly! My ability to fly didn't come with these wings."_ Kat thought as she got back to her feet and glared at the Hulk. _"I don't have the speed to get away without the Hulk noticing again but I can launch one last attack."_ Kat thought before she launched herself at the Hulk one last time and went for a kick.

And the Hulk grabbed her leg like it was nothing, Kat dangled from the Hulk's massive hand for what felt like an eternity as the Hulk glared at her. "Hulk said stay down!" The Hulk roared before slamming the terrified Kat twice into the ground back first, then holding her up briefly to confirm that she was still conscious and finally slamming her twice more before sending her flying backwards into the store.

And it was on the fourth slam, that Kat felt her arm snap in two.

*meanwhile*

"Cap, you said you needed me and it was urgent." She-Hulk commented as she entered the office and Cap turned to her as the battle played out on TV. "What is…" She Hulk's eyes widened when she saw the news footage and she turned to Cap. "Don't tell me Kat's gone and picked a fight with The Hulk?!"

"If I could tell you that, I wouldn't have to call you." Captain America responded with a grim look on his face. "Ant Man, Wasp, Mental Boy and Thor are already on their way to get her to safety, but we need you there to calm the Hulk down and contain the situation." Captain America added, and She-Hulk nodded in response. "And be sure to ask Marco why he isn't with Kat already, it should provide some context."

"Consider it done." She-Hulk responded before she quickly left the office.

*back at the fight*

"Oh god, my arm." Kat grimaced as she forced herself to her knees whilst her arm lay dangling at her side completely useless and broken. _"I've still got one arm and two legs left."_ Kat thought as she took several deep breaths before forcing herself back to her feet. _"I can still fight! I can…"_ Kat's train of thought came to an abrupt halt as she saw herself in one of the few mirrors that hadn't been broken during the fight, or specifically the mess that the fight had left her in and her eyes widened. _"What am I doing?! This isn't what dad would want! He wouldn't want me to put my life in danger like this!"_

"We can officially confirm that the hero bravely fighting the Hulk is indeed Dragon Girl." The news reporter's voice rang out as the camera zoomed in on Kat's bloody, bruised face.

" _I wanted to do my dad proud! But this? This isn't the way!"_ Kat thought as she stared at herself in the mirror. _"He wouldn't want me to throw my life away like this! Not when mom needs me more than…...oh god, mom!"_ Kat thought as her head snapped around to the TV camera with a look of panic on her face. _"It's an hour before dinner service, she always sits down to watch the evening news at around this time! And that means…."_ Kat thought before lowering her head. _"She's just saw her daughter get beaten to a bloody pulp on TV! Oh god, what have I done?!"_

"Kat! Are you in here!?" Marco's voice rang out and Kat looked up to see her boyfriend enter the store on his glider via the hole in the roof the impact had made, when he saw the state she was in however his eyes widened. "Oh god! Guys get the paramedics, quick!" Marco called out to the other heroes before landing beside Kat and taking his helmet off. "It's okay Kat, I'm here!"

"Marco?" Kat asked weakly as she looked up at her boyfriend. "What are you doing here?! The Hulk's still out there!"

"I kinda got roped into saving you by Cap." Marco explained before hugging his girlfriend. "I'm sorry for pissing you off earlier Kat, if I had known it would lead to this I would've kept my mouth shut!"

"Marco, as much as I'd love to return the hug, my arm is broken." Kat winced as she tried to hug him back with her good arm, however Kat's eyes widened when she saw a familiar sight. "Marco, get out of here, now!"

"What? Why?" Marco asked only to hear the very distinctive and very familiar roar behind him. "Hulk's right behind me, isn't he?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded as he broke off the hug and turned around. "Hulk, wait, I know your big, angry and absolutely terrifying but I just want to get my girlfriend to safety!" Marco added with a look of panic in his eyes as the Hulk seemed to calm down. "There see, nothing to worry about, you wouldn't be able to break through my shields anyway!" Marco added only to immediately regret his choice of words as the Hulk roared again. "Why did I say that?!"

"Marco, if it weren't for the fact that that my strong arm is broken, I'd be face-palming right now!" Kat responded, and Marco gulped as the Hulk reared back his fist. "Get your shield up already!"

"Right, right!" Marco responded before quickly getting the shield up…...and watching in horror as the Hulk shattered it in one hit. "You…...you wouldn't hit a guy in glasses, would you?!" Marco pleaded as he hurriedly put on his reading glasses as the Hulk pulled back his fist again.

"Bruce, that's enough!" She-Hulk's voice rang out and the Hulk stopped his attack and turned around to see Jennifer standing there. "Let them go, she needs medical attention and he's not even remotely a threat to you."

"I'm standing right here!" Marco protested, and Hulk glared at him quickly getting him to back down.

"She attacked Hulk first." Hulk responded, and She-Hulk shook her head.

"Yeah, she can be an idiot at times." She-Hulk responded, and Kat would've protested if she hadn't already passed out from the pain. "But this isn't worth it." She-Hulk added before pulling the Hulk into a hug, it took a few minutes, but the Hulk slowly turned back into Bruce Banner who dropped to his knees. "How are you feeling?"

"I tried to stop her from injuring herself further Jen." Bruce sighed as he slowly stood up. "But she wouldn't listen."

"It's okay, its over." She-Hulk responded before the two of them walked off, whilst that was going on the paramedics arrived on the scene with Thor, Ant Man and Wasp by their side.

"You okay kid?" Ant Man asked as he turned to Marco. "You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Well remember our chat about Hulk yesterday? Well I just found out how long my shields last against the Hulk." Marco responded with a nervous laugh before holding up his right index finger. "One second."

"And you where taking on the Hulk, why?" Ant Man asked as Thor helped the paramedics get Kat onto the stretcher.

"Long story." Marco responded before putting his helmet back on. "I'll tell you once we're away from the cameras but let's just say that it makes the reason for my argument with Kat look like the smartest decision in all of history."

"I'll take your word for it." Ant Man responded before sighing as he turned to Kat's unconscious form. "We'd better take her around the back, I wouldn't want her mother to see her like this."

"Her mother?" Marco asked as it dawned on him. "Lin's out there, isn't she?"

"Yeah, among the spectators." Wasp nodded in response and Marco frowned. "Only reason we know that is because she asked us about her daughter, and then confirmed that her daughter's Dragon Girl." Wasp added before letting out a sigh. "After just losing her husband, seeing her daughter like this will be the last thing she needs."

"The ambulance is parked around the back, right?" Marco asked, and the paramedics nodded before Marco searched through Kat's pockets before producing her phone. "I'll need to call her when we get her to the hospital, no point in letting her worry about her daughter any more than she already has." Marco added before the heroes followed the paramedics out of the store.


	15. Hell on Wheels

A day had passed since the one-sided battle between Kat and The Hulk and right now the Teen Superhero was starting to wake up for the first time since the ill-fated attack on the Hulk.

" _Oh god, I almost wish I was being woken up by my alarm clock!"_ Kat thought as she realized that she was in a hospital bed with the Dragon Girl costume on the back of a chair right next to it, still Kat looked around the room before plopping back down in her bed. "Morning dad." Kat said wearily as she saw her dad sitting by her bedside.

And promptly sat back up once she realized what she had just said, Kat took a moment to scratch her eye with her good arm (as the broken one was in a cast) before confirming that she wasn't seeing things. "I bet you never thought you'd see me again." Howard sighed as he walked up to his daughter.

"Dad?!" Kat asked with her jaw agape. "What's going on? I saw you get shot, they told me you were…" Kat asked before her eyes widened. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"No, fortunately you survived your battle with the Hulk." Howard assured her, and Kat took a massive sigh of relief. "I'm not sure if I understand it myself but it seems that I have unfinished business in this world and I can't pass on to the afterlife until it is fulfilled." Howard explained, and Kat nodded in response. "However, since I am dead, I will need you to finish that business for me."

"Dad, you have seen the state I'm in, right?" Kat asked as she looked at herself in a nearby mirror, the blood from her battle against The Hulk had been cleared up but her face was massively bruised whilst her arm and wings remained as broken as they were at the end of the battle. "Thanks to my stupid decision to battle the Hulk yesterday I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

"Yes, I know." Howard nodded in response with a sigh. "And why did you go into battle against such a dangerous enemy?"

"I…." Kat trailed off before looking down. "I wanted to do you proud, growing up I heard nothing about you other than what a great cop you were and all this time I kept wondering to myself "how am I supposed to live up to that?"." Kat asked added as she took a deep breath. "Since I got my powers I thought that I had finally found the answer I was looking for, that I could live up to your standards as a Superhero but since you got shot I had been asking myself "have I done enough"." Kat answered honestly before sighing. "Sucks that we never got to have this conversation whilst you were alive, huh?"

"Don't worry, I understand completely." Howard nodded in understanding and Kat grinned. "I can tell you that you were right, throwing your life away in battle against enemies like the Hulk is not the answer, your mother was so beside herself with worry that she closed the restaurant for the night and came down to the site of battle."

"She did?!" Kat asked, and Howard nodded. "She didn't see the state I was in after the battle, right?" Kat asked, and Howard shook his head and Kat let out a sad sigh. "I just know I'm going to get the earful of a lifetime later, your saying that the way I can do you proud is to help you fulfil your unfinished business, right?" Kat asked, and Howard nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"The first thing you need to do is get better, once you've done that you need to seek out a man called Dr. Stephan Strange." Howard explained, and Kat nodded in response. "He is the Sorcerer Supreme, if anyone can explain my situation better than I can, it's him." Howard added before frowning. "It appears this dream is ending."

"Dream?!" Kat asked as she looked around. "Well, at least I know that I'm not going crazy." Kat sighed in relief as Howard approached her.

"Just know this Kat, as a daughter you made me proud to be a parent every day, whether it was through your athletic pursuits or as a Superhero." Howard added, and Kat bit her lip. "If you had just told me this when I was still alive I would've been more than happy to tell you, but we never got a chance to have an honest discussion like this, I was busy with work and you were busy with your school life and Superhero duties, but you never had to worry about making me proud." Howard added with a warm smile on his face. "Because you've done that ten times over."

"Thanks dad." Kat responded with a broad grin before a bright flash enveloped them.

*in the real world*

Kat awoke with a gasp before sitting up in the hospital bed, a quick glance around confirmed that she was alone in her hospital room and that her arm was still in a cast but more importantly her dad was nowhere to be seen.

" _Did that just happen?"_ Kat thought as she looked outside the window, it was the middle of the night but without her phone she couldn't tell just how late it was. _"I thought things were weird already but my dad visiting me in my dreams? Yeah, that's a new one."_ Kat thought as she lay back in the hospital bed and sighed. _"How am I supposed to explain this without sounding crazy? And how am I supposed to find this Dr. Strange guy?! Somehow I doubt the Sorcerer Supreme works for a hospital despite his title!"_ Kat thought before sighing. _"Maybe Cap has some ideas, I mean he's been around a lot longer than I have so who knows what he's seen?"_ Kat thought before falling asleep.

*meanwhile*

It was a quiet night on the roads leading into New York City but that didn't stop the traffic cops from doing their jobs as they patrolled the highway for any suspicious activity.

"Hey Joe, did you hear about what happened yesterday?" One of the traffic cops asked as his partner munched away on donuts. "Pretty crazy stuff."

"What? The sequel to the Bar with no Name Massacre or the one-sided fight between Dragon Girl and the Hulk?" Joe asked his partner as he finished his donuts and set the bag aside. "Just saying Mike, your going to have to be a lot more specific!"

"Err, both I guess." Mike shrugged his shoulders in response as he kept an eye on the speed camera. "I heard a rumor that Dragon Girl's the daughter of some cop at the NYPD, but I wouldn't know, I'm just happy working away from the big city." Mike responded as he glanced at his partner. "The pay at NYPD is better and all but housing over there is a bitch to pay, not to mention all the Superheroes flying about." Mike added before sighing. "I still don't know how Lao managed to get the funds together to move to New York…."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Joe remembered as he turned to his partner. "I heard on the news this morning, Lao's been murdered."

"Your kidding?!" Mike asked with a shocked look on his face and Joe shook his head sadly. "He was a good man and a hell of a cop, the NYPD just lost one of the best officers they could ask for."

"Yeah, tell me about it, I'm more concerned about his daughter though, I mean she just turned eighteen before the move." Joe responded with a sad sigh. "I bet she's taking it hard."

"At least she still has a loving mother." Mike nodded before the speed camera picked something up. "Looks like we've got a speeder coming up, going upwards of a hundred miles an hour."

"I see them, looks like a motorbike." Joe responded as he looked out the window at the fast approaching motorbike, however when they got a better look they saw Hellraiser driving by on a demonic looking crimson red motorbike with flaming wheels before it sped off. "Did you see what I just saw?!"

"Yep, pretty sure I haven't taken any drugs today either." Mike responded before putting away the speed camera and starting up the engine. "Whatever that guy is, we need to pull him over!" Mike added before he put the siren on and Hellraiser turned around to see the cops pursuing him.

"Ugh, damn pigs." Hellraiser grunted under his breath as the cops caught up with him.

"Pull over, your going a hundred in a 25MPH zone!" Joe shouted at Hellraiser as they pulled up alongside him only for Hellraiser to ram his bike into the car sending it spinning backwards with a powerful blow, but Mike was able to maintain control of the car after a few seconds of struggling. "That ain't no normal motorbike!"

"You just noticed?" Mike asked before Hellraiser spun around and pointed his arm and them. "What the hell is he doing?"

"You got me!" Joe responded before, much to the shock of the two cops, Hellraiser's arm turned into something that resembled a rocket launcher and before either cop could register what they just saw he launched a missile at the car. "Mike, look out!" Joe yelled as he grabbed the steering wheel in a panic.

But it was already too late for the cops as the missile impacted against the cop car causing it to flip over and burst into flames, the car continued to flip for a few minutes before it eventually fell off the side of the road and into a ditch, the most that Mike and Joe could be thankful for was that their deaths were quick and painless. "Always liked my pork chops burnt!" Hellraiser said with an evil laugh as his arm returned to normal before he continued riding into the city.

*later*

The rest of her sleep had gone by without incident for Kat and a few hours later she woke up again, still in her hospital bed and with her arm and wings still in a sleeve.

However, there was one major difference this time around. "Morning mom…." Kat trailed off before she sat up and turned to her obviously concerned mother. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Kat groaned as she glanced at her broken arm and her wings.

"Kat, I told you to be safe." Lin sighed, and Kat frowned knowing what her mom was about to say. "And instead you went and got in a fight with the Hulk! What were you thinking?!"

"That's a long story." Kat sighed as she leaned back. "But I guess I'm not going anywhere for a while." Kat admitted as she looked at her bruised and broken body, it took her about ten minutes, but Kat relayed the events leading up to her fight with the Hulk and once she was done Lin shook her head. "It wasn't until I saw the damage I was doing to myself by continuing to fight The Hulk that I came to my senses." Kat admitted as she glanced at her mother. "I seem to be saying this a lot lately but sorry for worrying you so much."

"It's like your father said even before you got your mutant powers, I have a teenaged daughter, its my job to be worried." Lin assured her and Kat grinned weakly. "And your father was always proud of you, he wouldn't want you to throw your life away for something that should be obvious."

" _You have no idea how much I already know that mom."_ Kat thought as she remembered the dream she had that had woken her up in the middle of the night. "So, did the doctors say what the extent of my injuries were?"

"They had to perform an emergency operation on your arm almost as soon as they got you to the hospital." Lin explained and Kat grimaced. "It had literally been broken in half during the fight, if Marco hadn't arrived when he did it would've likely been amputated but fortunately, they were able to repair the damage." Lin added, and Kat nodded with a wince. "I'm not sure how but Captain America was able to convince our insurance company to cover it, so you don't have to worry about that, but I am worried about you pulling a dangerous stunt like that again."

"Don't worry mom, one battle against The Hulk was more than enough for me." Kat assured her, and Lin grinned but before Kat could say anything else there was a knock at the door and the two women looked up.

"Lin is Kat awake yet?" Captain America's voice rang out and Kat ran a hand down her face.

" _Any other circumstances I'd be ecstatic that Captain America was visiting me in hospital."_ Kat thought as she watched her mother get up to answer the door. _"But I just know he's going to ride my ass for getting in that fight with the Hulk…...Jesus Christ, I'm so glad I didn't say that out loud!"_ Kat thought as Lin opened the door and let the Superhero in alongside Marco. "Hey guys," Kat said weakly and Captain America turned to Lin.

"Lin, would you mind giving me some time alone with your daughter? I just need to clear some things up with her." Captain America asked Lin who nodded before closing the door behind her as she left the room, however as the door closed Kat caught a glimpse of several news reporters stationed outside. "How are you feeling Kat?" Captain America asked as he and Marco sat down in chairs on opposite ends of her hospital bed.

"I just went a few rounds with The Hulk, how do you think I feel?" Kat asked with a groan and Captain America shook his head. "Last thing I remembered before I passed out was She-Hulk trying to calm down her big scary cousin, did she succeed?"

"Fortunately, yes, Bruce is in SHIELD custody at the moment but given the nature of his powers its only a matter of time before he escapes." Captain America responded before looking over her injuries and sighing. "Do you know how lucky you are?"

"I don't follow?" Kat asked, and Captain America took a deep breath.

"If it weren't for your mutations evolution you would've been paralyzed from that sky dive attack The Hulk did, from where would've depended on the landing and that's the best-case scenario." Captain America responded, and Kat winced as she got the picture. "Fortunately, your endurance was what saved you from the injuries being far worse, and even then, an emergency operation had to be performed to save your arm."

"Yeah, I know, I asked mom about the extent of the damage to my arm." Kat responded as she glanced down at her arm.

"And I suppose she told you what would've happened if Marco had gotten there later?" Captain America asked, and Kat nodded with a shudder. "Aside from that, the bruising will at most clear up after a few days and your arm and wings will take about a week to heal and yes, I have been talking to Dr. Koboyashi." Captain America added before sighing. "Was it worth it?"

"If your talking about bragging rights from surviving a few rounds with The Hulk, definitely not." Kat admitted as she looked at her body. "I'd rather be out there kicking ass as Dragon Girl but, well, it's clear to me that I'm not going anywhere for a while until I'm discharged."

"Glad to hear it." Captain America nodded before sighing. "I just want to make one thing clear, I don't normally condone foolish/borderline suicidal acts like deliberately picking a fight with The Hulk so for the love of god, don't do that again." Captain America added, and Kat gave him a confused look. "But with that said, your actions brought us enough time to contain the Hulk's rampage to that one area and get She-Hulk in there to calm him down, what I'm saying is, you've proven yourself worthy."

"You mean…." Kat trailed off as it started to dawn on her.

"Welcome back to the Avengers Internship Kat, we've got more heroes helping out this time around thanks to you and Marco's efforts during the jailbreak." Captain America responded as he put a hand on her good shoulder and Kat grinned broadly. "If you need me for anything, let me know, I'm not going to expect you to jump right back in training given your current condition but as soon as your discharged you'll be welcome back with open arms and ready to pick up where you left off."

"If I had known it was that easy, I would've picked a fight with The Hulk sooner." Kat joked getting a chuckle out of Cap. "But there is one thing, and I'm not sure how to word it."

"Kat, I told you before, there's little you can tell me that will surprise me." Cap assured her, and Kat took a deep breath.

"My dad visited me in my dreams last night." Kat explained, and Cap did a double take as did Marco. "Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are, he said that he had unfinished business before he could pass on to the afterlife and that I should seek out someone called Dr. Stephan Strange." Kat explained, and Cap nodded. "Apparently he's the Sorcerer Supreme or something?"

"Yes, I know the man, and if what you say is true then he is a lot more qualified to talk to you about this dream you had than I am." Cap admitted, and Kat nodded. "I would bring him in but as the Sorcerer Supreme he has little down time, but I do know where to find him, once your discharged I'll point you in the right direction." Cap assured her, and Kat took a deep breath before nodding.

"Thanks Cap, even if it's just me hallucinating because of all these pain killers, it means a lot." Kat responded, and Cap nodded before leaving the room, once the door was closed Kat turned to Marco. "So, did you get a chance to change your pants yesterday after Hulk shattered your shields?"

"Well, I will say this, after that I no longer needed to go to the bathroom." Marco joked and if it weren't for the fact that Marco was on the same side as Kat's broken arm she would've slapped him playfully. "Kat, I know I said this yesterday but is bears repeating, I'm sorry that my words lead to you fighting The Hulk and I'm sorry for even suggesting that you team up with The Punisher."

"If anyone should apologize, it's me." Kat admitted as she leaned back. "I know you were just throwing ideas out there but the memory of my dad laying there with a bullet in his chest was still fresh in my mind." Kat added as she lowered her head. "In a way, I'm glad I took on the Hulk, otherwise I would've taken out my anger on some random bank robber."

"And the results would not have been pretty?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "Look, what's done is done and I'll just be happy if we can continue being a couple in spite of that argument."

"Marco, if my parents split up every time they argued, they would've had at least twelve divorces between them." Kat joked, and Marco laughed in response. "So yeah, we're still together, so what was the vote like to get me back on the internship?"

"Unanimous, the other thing they agreed on being that it was stupid of you to attack the Hulk in the first place." Marco responded before motioning to the Dragon Girl costume. "Don't worry about the mask, they should have a new one for you once your discharged, stronger materials too."

"I hope so." Kat nodded in agreement before the two teens continues talking,

*elsewhere*

Whilst Kat was recovering at the hospital and repairs to the damaged buildings that were unfortunate enough to be in the Hulk's way things were business as usual in New York.

"Any sign of that bastard?" Hawkeye asked as Spider-Man swung up to him and Spider-Man shook his head prompting an annoyed sigh from Hawkeye. "I was hoping we'd find Target before Kat is released from hospital."

"Yeah well, it's not like we're the only ones looking for him, not counting Kat for obvious reasons but he's pretty much public enemy number one right now." Spider-Man responded as he turned his attention towards the city streets. "And that's if he's still in New York, you heard about the massacre up at Woodstock, right?"

"Yeah, it was all over the news until Kat decided that fighting The Hulk sounded like fun." Hawkeye responded before chuckling. "Seems they have it out for the lamest members of your rogue's gallery, White Rabbit, The Squid, Blindside, Commanda, Lady Stiltman, Blare, Blowtorch…..."

"Hey, just be glad that they haven't come after your bad guys." Spider-Man responded as the two heroes heard a motorbike drawing closer but ignored it. "Because you'd run out of guys to fight by week one, at least my rogue's gallery doesn't…" Spider-Man felt his spider-sense go off and span around trying to find the source.

"That sense of yours?" Hawkeye asked, and Spider-Man nodded. "I don't see any criminals, you sure its not a false alarm?"

"It's never been wrong before." Spider-Man responded before he saw the source as Hellraiser rode through the streets on his bike terrifying passers by as he did. "You know Hawkeye, I've been doing this Superhero gig for a long time now and I thought I saw it all as far as bad guys to beat up." Spider-Man admitted as he got ready to swing off. "Demonic bikers that look like something from a metal music video? That's a new one!"

"Glad I wasn't the only one thinking that." Hawkeye nodded in agreement before the two heroes gave chase to Hellraiser.

"Ha-ha, watch out New York because I'm gonna raze this town to the ground!" Hellraiser bellowed as he continued to drive through the city streets whilst frightened onlookers watched on or barely got out of the way, Spider-Man swung onto the lamppost in front of Hellraiser and the demonic biker growled. "Spider-Man, and here I was hoping for a challenge!" Hellraiser commented as he pulled up next to the lamppost. "If you know what's good for you, you'd stay far away from me!"

"Or what? You'll make me look at your ugly face even longer?" Spider-Man asked and Hellraiser growled before pointing his hand to Spider-Man. "Surrendering already? Well, that was…..." Spider-Man didn't finish his taunt as he watched Hellraiser's arm turn into a rocket launcher. "I'm pretty sure arms aren't meant to do that!"

"Oh this? This is nothing!" Hellraiser growled before he launched a missile at the lamppost, originally Spider-Man was just going to swing away from the lamppost but once he realized that there was civilians nearly he webbed up the missile before launching it into the sky where it detonated safely. "I've got a lot more firepower were that came from Spider-Man and you can't dodge them forever!"

"Maybe I can!" Hawkeye's voice rang out as he launched an arrow at Hellraiser which the massive Supervillain caught effortlessly. "So, what are we supposed to call you exactly? The demon biker?"

"Call my Hellraiser!" Hellraiser responded as he glared at Hawkeye. "And if these toy arrows are all you've got then you can call me the Grim Reaper as well." Hellraiser added before he realized that the arrow he caught was beeping.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but the Grim Reaper name is already taken." Hawkeye responded as the arrow exploded in Hellraiser's face knocking him off the bike. "Spidey, web him up before he can get back on the bike!"

"You got it!" Spider-Man responded before he swung down to the Supervillain's side. "Sorry to inform you but they typically don't play metal in jail so don't get used to…." Spider-Man never finished his taunt as Hellraiser grabbed him by the throat before getting up to his feet.

"You think those arrows are enough to keep me down? I AM A GOD!" Hellraiser bellowed before lifting Spider-Man and driving him through the road with a chokeslam knocking the Wall-Crawler out like a light. "If you know what's good for you arrow boy, you'd stay away from me!" Hellraiser warned him before getting back on the bike and riding off whilst Hawkeye ran up to Spider-Man.

"Cap, it's Hawkeye, Spider-Man needs medical attention." Hawkeye said into his earpiece once he had caught up with Spider-Man. "We've got a new Supervillain in town and it almost looks like a guy Marco would draw up in his textbook."

"Explain more when I get there Clint, we'll discuss what to do then." Cap added before hanging up and Hawkeye frowned as the onlookers approached him.

*later back at the hospital*

"Just when I thought things couldn't get more boring than a math's lecture." Kat groaned as she surfed the internet on her phone using the fingers on her otherwise immobile broken arm to swipe through her Facebook feed and her good arm to play with her hair absentmindedly, Marco was still with her and he was going through his Facebook wall as well.

"Kat, considering the alternative, your lucky to still be able to use that arm even in a limited capacity like you are now." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat just shook her head. "Besides, you still got me for company when your mom's running the restaurant."

"Just don't start singing, otherwise I'll break that window and escape." Kat responded half-jokingly and Marco shook his head.

"Kat, unless you want to hurt your good arm as well, I don't see you breaking anything." Marco responded, and Kat gave him an annoyed glare. "Yeah, I know, bad choice of words but I'm serious, you may be super strong, but have you tried lifting anything heavier than your iPhone with one arm?"

"No, because of how much damage the Hulk fight did, I pretty much have to ask the nurses to help me out of bed if I want to stretch my legs or go to the bathroom." Kat responded with a sigh and Marco raised an eyebrow.

"Couldn't you just fly?" Marco asked, and Kat shook her head.

"I tried flying with my wings broken during The Hulk fight, hurt like hell." Kat responded as she leaned back. "Not trying that again until the damage to my wings is repaired and the damn bandages come off." Kat added with a sigh. "And you carrying me bridal style whenever I need the bathroom would just be weird as all hell."

"True." Marco admitted before coming across a news story whilst Kat went back to her iPhone. "Huh."

"Huh what?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Kat if I told you that a giant, demonic biker on a giant, demonic motorbike with flaming wheels was terrorizing New York City and had just chokeslammed Spider-Man, what would you say?" Marco asked not realizing that he his girlfriend wasn't paying attention.

"I'd tell you to stop watching so many metal music videos." Kat responded as she rolled her eyes. "Especially ones set to WWE footage."

"Will you pay attention?!" Marco asked with an exasperated sigh before he held out his phone in front of Kat's and showed her the footage.

"Okay, point taken." Kat admitted as Marco put his phone away. "Didn't you say something about a demonic biker yesterday? Right before our argument?"

"Yeah, I did." Marco nodded in response as they watched the footage. "Seems he's moved into New York, think we can take him?"

"Oh sure, just get She-Hulk to carry me there in my hospital bed and see how long I last!" Kat responded as her voice dripped with sarcasm whilst she rolled her eyes. "I gave my mom enough of a heart attack already when I went and challenged The Hulk, if I went out there to bust up a bank robbery in my current state, let alone someone strong enough to take on Spider-Man, she might actually have a heart attack!" Kat added, and Marco nodded with a wince. "Besides, I've got a week until I'm discharged, with any luck the threat will have been dealt with by then, courtesy of the older heroes."

"Point taken." Marco nodded in understanding. "But what if that guy, who the news reports are calling Hellraiser, takes out all the other heroes in New York by the time you get discharged and we're the only heroes left the stop him."

"Marco, if it does get to that point I think its safe to say that everything's gone to shit." Kat pointed out and Marco nodded in agreement. "Besides, no offence to Spider-Man but he's hardly the only super strong hero in the city, me included, Hellraiser, and I'm pretty sure that he's watched way to many eighties horror movies based on that name, will be stopped." Kat added before letting out an annoyed sigh as the door opened. "It just sucks big time that I can't go out there and at least try to stop him."

"I'm just going to assume that your talking about that demonic biker who's just showed up." Captain America chimed in and Kat looked up as he approached the bed. "Kat, even if you were at hundred percent, I wouldn't recommend that you go up against this Hellraiser character, during your training with the internship we determined your strength was on par with Spider-Man's level."

"And Spider-Man just got chokeslammed by the guy." Kat finished Cap's sentence and Cap raised an eyebrow. "Marco showed me the news footage." Kat explained as she motioned to Marco with her head. "How is Spider-Man anyway?"

"Expected to make a full recovery but here's the thing that worries me about Hellraiser, based on my observations his strength appears to be near the Hulk's level, if not on the same level." Captain America responded, and Kat frowned. "And we've already seen how you do against someone on that level." Cap added as he motioned to Kat's battle wounds.

"Well yeah but the Hulk is basically all fists and he kept fisting me, at least with Hellraiser I can ride him out for a while…." Kat trailed off before realizing how sexual that sounded and blushed furiously whilst face-palming with her good arm. "You guys could've stopped me at any time, you know!" Kat complained whilst Marco was trying not to laugh and Captain America merely chuckled.

"I just wanted to see how far you'd get to be honest." Cap responded before standing up. "I'll keep you posted on any developments regarding this Hellraiser character, worst comes to worst your first day out of the hospital might be spent trying to take him down." Cap added before turning to Marco. "And Marco, I know you want to be at your girlfriend's side by visiting time is almost up."

"Right." Marco nodded once he realized what time it was and shared a quick kiss with Kat. "Don't worry Kat, you'll be out of here before you know it and once you are you'll be ready to kick ass all over again."

"I hope so." Kat responded with a sigh before the two men left and closed the door behind them.

*the next day*

The rest of the day went by without a hitch and Kat fell asleep that night without being visited by her dad in her dreams and the following morning she was awaken by several female nurses checking on her injuries.

" _They could've at least sent some male nurses."_ Kat thought as she glanced at the two nurses who clearly did not know what to think of her wings. _"At least then I would've had something nice to look at, the nurses are cute but I'm not going to turn bi anytime soon."_ Kat thought before she turned to the nurse examining her arm. "How long until you guys are done here?"

"Shouldn't take too long, at least until they figure out how to examine your wings." The nurse responded, and Kat winced as she felt the nurses prod at her wings. "How are you feeling?"

"Still as shitty as I did yesterday." Kat sighed in response and after a few minutes the nurses left, once they had left Kat glanced at her wings again. _"I bet I'm the first patient they've treated who has wings."_ Kat thought with an amused look on her face before grabbing her iPhone. _"At this point I'd almost welcome Target showing up! At least that would make my hospital stay interesting."_ Kat thought before the door to her hospital room opened and another nurse, this time a male, stepped in. _"Finally!"_ Kat thought as she shifted her weight. "Here to examine me doc?"

"Not exactly!" Target's voice rang out and Kat's eyes widened as the "nurse" pulled a gun on her. "There's only a few lose ends for me to tie up before I skip town Katrina, and your at the top of my list!"


	16. Hospital Showdown

Whilst that was going on in Kat's room down the hallway another superhero was being discharged from the hospital.

"Don't worry Spidey, we'll get our revenge on that Mad Max reject before you know it." Hawkeye assured him as the two heroes walked down the hallway, Spider-Man was in his civilian guise as Peter Parker due to the Spider-Man costume needing to be washed but the heroes planned to grab the Spider-Man costume on the way out. "And hopefully Kat won't have to further injure herself when she gets discharged."

"Yeah, hopefully." Peter nodded in agreement as they walked past Kat's room, however as they did Peter felt his Spider-Sense go off and motioned to Hawkeye before he turned to one of the nurses. "Err, excuse me, who's occupying that room?" Peter asked, and the nurse checked her notes.

"Katrina Sheng Lao, otherwise known as Dragon Girl." The nurse responded, and the two men shared a look. "There's a nurse in there with her, he just started with the hospital this morning."

"By any chance, would this nurse have an English accent?" Hawkeye asked, and the nurse gave him a confused look before nodding her head in response. "We're going in."

"Sir, she is being seen too, you'll have too…." The nurse's protests fell on deaf ears as Hawkeye walked up to the closed hospital door and opened it just as Target pulled the gun on Kat. "I'm sorry, I tried too…oh my god!" The nurse went to apologize to Target but quickly backed off when she saw his gun.

"Put the gun down, Target!" Hawkeye warned the villain as he kept his bow trained on him. "You have nowhere to go."

"A gun vs. a bow and arrow, there's no point in testing which is faster!" Target scoffed as he turned to Hawkeye whilst keeping the gun trained on Kat. "I have loose ends to tie up before I leave the city, don't try to stop me!"

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we can't allow you to do either of that." Spider-Man responded as he ran in and decked Target sending the villain reeling back, Target opened fire on Spider-Man, but the hero easily dodged his bullets.

"Guys, this is just a suggestion but maybe don't have a Superhero fight in my hospital room?" Kat protested as she glared at Target. "I'm just saying, I can't really defend myself!"

" _Kat's right, we need to get her out of here before she gets caught in the crossfire."_ Hawkeye thought before poking his head out of the room and turning to the cowering nurses. "Hey, does your Hippocratic Oath cover patients getting caught up in a Superhero fight?" Hawkeye asked, and the nurses shook their heads after a moment of confusion. "Then help me move Kat to a different room, I don't think she'll mind which room as long as she's far away from Target!"

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen Hawkeye!" Target responded as he went to shoot the hero only to be tackled to the ground by Spider-Man. "What do you care about this girl Spider-Man? You barely even know her!"

"Maybe but I'm not about to let a defenseless woman get gunned down in her hospital bed!" Spider-Man responded as he managed to get the gun away from Target and the two men brawled. "I can only keep this up for so long Hawkeye, if you want to get Kat out of here, now's the time!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Hawkeye responded before he lead several nurses into the room and got Kat out of there as quickly as they could. "So, does this make us even for you saving me from Jack O'Lantern the other day?" Hawkeye asked Kat who grinned in response.

"Don't know about that, but if I survive this, I think you and Peter just earned the right to eat at my mom's restaurant for free." Kat responded whilst they failed to notice that Target, who had now removed his mask and retrieved his gun, emerge from the hospital room. "In fact, why don't I take you guys there as soon as I'm discharged?"

"It's been a while since I've had Chinese Food, so I might just take you up on that offer." Hawkeye responded with a grin before Target opened fire, thankfully the nurses and Hawkeye were able to dodge in the nick of time and the bullets sailed right over Kat's bed and impacted the wall. "I thought you fancied yourself as a force for good Target." Hawkeye called out to him as he glared at the villain. "So why open fire on these nurses? If anything, they are only guilty of being too cute!"

"That was the corniest line ever." Kat whispered to him and Hawkeye shook his head.

"And now you know why we leave the jokes to Spider-Man." Hawkeye responded with a grin before he motioned to the nurses to keep Kat moving. "So, what is it? Are you a force for good, or a giant hypocrite?"

"I don't need the approval of a former criminal, I only care about results." Target responded coldly as he kept the gun trained on Hawkeye. "And unless you move I might just gun you down to get to Dragon Girl!"

"Hey, forget about me?" Spider-Man's voice rang out and Target looked up to see the hero charging right at him.

"You heroes always meddle in my affairs!" Target growled as he opened fire at Spider-Man who continued to dodge his bullets. "Yet I am the only one who knows the true remedy for the criminal infestation, by refusing to kill villains you become no worse than the villains you fight!"

"This coming from a guy who tried to kill a teenager whilst she was recovering from a fight against The Hulk." Hawkeye deadpanned as he watched Kat get wheeled off by the nurses. _"Well, at least things can't get any worse."_ Hawkeye thought as he fired arrows at Target who rolled out of the way of the attempt.

"Kat, what's going on?!" Lin's clearly confused voice rang out and Hawkeye face-palmed.

"Long story but for the love of god mom, don't go around that corner!" Kat responded as the two heroes battled the villain. "There's a gunman there and I don't want to lose you as well!"

"We're taking your daughter to a temporary room until Hawkeye and Spider-Man deal with the gunman." One of the nurses added as she turned to Kat's mother. "I strongly advise that you follow her advice, she was almost killed by that gunman."

"Yes, off course." Lin responded with a nod before following the nurses to an unoccupied room. "And here I thought you had enough excitement young lady." Lin added once the two women were inside the room which wasn't far from the main reception.

"Trust me mom, if I wanted to make my hospital stay more exciting, the last thing I'd do is invite Target over and have him give me an acute case of lead poisoning!" Kat responded as she messaged her forehead with her good arm. "Hell, I'd sooner invite Marco to serenade me every night!" Kat added getting a laugh out of Lin, but what off the fight?

"Give it up Target, you're completely surrounded!" Hawkeye shouted at the villain as he hugged the corner wall to avoid more bullets, right now the two heroes were in the same standoff against Target that they had started off in, but Hawkeye was running out of arrows fast. "You can't have much ammo left!"

"I have enough!" Target responded as Spider-Man charged at him from behind, however Target heard him coming and he span around trying to fire his gun but instead got the telltale clicking sound that told him that he had finally run out of bullets. "I have more ammo than that!"

"Too bad you won't get a chance to use them." Spiderman responded as he neared the villain and speared him into the wall, once Target got over the initial shock he wacked Spider-Man on the back of the head stunning him long enough for Target to knee him in the head knocking the hero out.

" _Spider-Man can't get a break."_ Hawkeye thought as he reached for another arrow only to realize that he had run out. _"Well, guess I'm doing things the old-fashioned way."_ Hawkeye thought before tossing the bow to the side and charging at Target as the villain was starting to reload his gun, however he was only able to reload three bullets before Hawkeye decked him sending him stumbling back.

"Is that the best you've got? Then stick to archery!" Target responded before charging right at Hawkeye causing the two men to brawl, however after a few seconds it was clear that Target was the better hand to hand combatant as he was eventually able to knock out Hawkeye. "Three bullets, more than enough for me to carry out my goal." Target commented before picking up Spider-Man and dragging Hawkeye's unconscious form behind him. "You are coming with me."

"I can't hear any action did they beat him?" Kat asked as the sounds of the fight died down and Lin opened the door to the hospital room slightly to get a better look.

"I can't tell from this angle." Lin responded as she watched the hallways closely, however when Lin saw that Target had won she quickly closed the door and ran up to her daughter. "Katrina, no matter what happens in the next few minutes, I want you to know that you are my little angel and I will always love you."

"Mom?" Kat asked with confusion clear in the teenager's voice as the door to the room was kicked open and Target dropped the unconscious forms of the two heroes at the foot of her bed. "Oh shit."

"These two men fought valiantly to stop me Katrina, you should thank them." Target responded before pointing the gun at her. "When you meet them in the next life." Target added as he pointed his gun at Kat, however just before he could pull the trigger Lin stepped in front of her daughter's bed. "Get out of the way woman, justice must be served!"

"How is this justice?!" Lin demanded as she motioned to her helpless daughter. "My daughter is far from perfect, but she is no criminal and you are threatening her life whilst she lays helpless in a hospital bed, recovering from wounds sustained in a fight against The Hulk." Lin added as her eyes narrowed. "But you? You ordered misguided young fools to execute criminals in cold blood, claim to be serving justice but those criminals had families too, how many lives did your agents wreck through that one simple command."

"Oh please, spare me the lecture" Target responded as he rolled his eyes. "My organization is doing what no Superhero has the guts to do, those criminals are not worthy of the many second chances that these so-called heroes have afforded them and families? How many families did those criminals wreck when they killed and maimed? White Rabbit may have been a joke, but she was still capable of murder, Mr. Fish ruined lives everyday by peddling that filth, The Squid killed countless people before he was cut down." Target added before his eyes narrowed. "And what of Styx and Stone? The very men who took your daughter hostage and nearly killed her alongside her classmates? Did they deserve a second chance despite the torment they put Katrina through?"

"I would've rather see them face justice in court than justice in the form of a shotgun shell." Lin responded simply, and Target scoffed.

"So, what? They could escape and kill again? Why don't you ask your daughter how she feels on the subject?" Target asked as he motioned to Katrina. "After all, didn't they kill a teacher right in front of the hostages?"

"I was angry at those bastards for what they put me and the other students through." Kat responded as her eyes narrowed. "But mom's right, they should've gotten their day in court!"

"The same court who would've given them a reduced sentence for a plea bargain?" Target scoffed as he kept his gun trained on Lin. "The criminal justice system is a joke! The only way for society at large to survive the plague of crime is to eradicate it." Target added as his eyes narrowed. "This is your last chance, stand down or I will gun you down."

"And what of my husband?!" Lin demanded, and this gave Target pause. "He was a good man, an honest cop, a wonderful husband and the best father Katrina could've asked for! And yet your agent killed him, in front of his own daughter!"

"An unfortunate accident, Howard Lao was never a target for my organization, he simply got in the way of a Scourge agent's job." Target responded as he kept the gun trained on Kat. "And you say that he was honest, but he did keep one secret from you, your daughter committed an act that many would consider unforgivable, even criminal."

"What are you talking about?" Lin demanded but Kat knew all too well what was coming next. "I just said, my little angel is innocent!"

"Innocent? Hardly, this little angel broke a man's ribs and threatened to set him on fire if he didn't tell her what she wanted to know." Target responded, and the room fell silent as Lin's jaw hung open. "Did you ever wonder why your daughter was kicked off the Avengers Internship?"

"Howard told me that she was finding it hard to focus on her studies and requested to be removed so that she could focus on them but…..." Lin trailed off before turning to Kat. "Is that true?"

"I…." Kat trailed off as she saw the look on her mother's face. "It's true, and I've regretted my actions that night ever since, if we make it out of this, I'll tell you the whole story but its not something I'm in a hurry to do again."

"There you have it, a confession, straight from the horse's mouth." Target taunted her, and Lin kept her cool despite it. "Do you still defend her in spite of that?"

"My daughter is not perfect." Lin responded as she stared down the Supervillain. "But as a parent, its my job to stay by her side, through right and wrong, I always said that my daughter was fated for great things, now I know what that means." Lin added as she lowered her head. "By fighting supervillain scum like you! She has her flaws but at the end of the day she is still a Superhero who many people look up too." Lin added as her eyes narrowed. "And a far better agent for justice than you!"

"Pity." Target scoffed as he clicked the gun. "There are three bullets left in the chamber so don't worry, you'll meet your father soon in the next world!" Target added as he went to pull the trigger and Lin closed her eyes as she waited for the gunshot, however the gun shot never came as Target was whacked on the back of the head knocking him out like a light and Lin opened eyes again to see a familiar shield next to his body.

"Captain America?" Lin asked once she recognized the shield and she looked up seeing the hero standing in front of her.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I only just arrived." Captain America responded as he walked up to Target and glared at the villain as he picked the shield back up. "He is going away for a long time. How do you feel?"

"Like I just had my whole life flash before my eyes, twice." Kat responded as she messaged her forehead with her good arm before glancing at her mother. "I know I've got some explaining to do mom but I'm glad you're okay."

"As long as your safe, that's all that matters." Lin nodded in response and Kat grinned before Lin turned to Cap. "I think we'd better get her back to her room."

"Agreed." Captain America responded before calling in the nurses to help move Kat back to her room.

*later at NYPD*

" _Howard's dead, his daughter's in the hospital and I'm stuck on desk duty."_ Jenny thought as she went over the paperwork, it had been a very trying few days for the twenty-five-year-old cop who was just about ready for the weekend at this point. _"At least Kat's expected to make a full recovery, as soon as she's discharged I'm asking her why she thought that fighting The Hulk was a good idea."_ Jenny thought before glancing up as Malcolm walked up to her. "Unless IA has decided to take me off desk duty, I'm not interested."

"You're not so lucky but I do have some info that you'd be interested in." Malcolm responded as he sat opposite Jenny. "Target's been caught, he was trying to kill Kat in her hospital bed when Hawkeye and Spider-Man intervened."

"Your kidding?!" Jenny asked with a big grin on her face and Malcom shook his head. "Have they unmasked the bastard yet?"

"They have, but that's the problem, he's no known criminal and his fingerprints didn't turn up any matches in any databases." Malcom responded, and Jenny frowned in response. "Only databases we haven't tried are federal, FBI, CIA, SHIELD, you get the picture, because we don't have the clearance, but the lab techs have sent them the prints in hopes of finding a match."

"Hopefully they won't run into any bureaucracy." Jenny responded as she shook her head. "What about the remaining Scourge murders? Was Target responsible for any of them?"

"Yeah, he personally carried out the murders of White Rabbit and Mr. Fish before gunning down those villains at the Bar with No Name." Malcolm responded before shaking his head. "And he still won't give us a motive, he'd rather just sit pretty in his holding cell as he waits for an attorney to show up."

"Well, that is his right, as much as we hate it." Jenny responded with a shrug. "If he committed the first two murders, then maybe it was a demonstration to the other Scourge agents."

"Show them how easy it is is to catch even a Supercriminal unprepared?" Malcom asked, and Jenny nodded in response. "Not sure why he chose to do it by killing someone, even someone as insane and dangerous like White Rabbit."

"White Rabbit? Dangerous?" Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow. "I think that's the first time those three words have ever been spoken in the same sentence."

"You joke but whilst White Rabbit was so insane that no Superhero took her seriously she was still capable of murder." Malcom responded with a shrug and Jenny nodded. "Not long after her murder, the family of her dead husband ordered his body exhumed, they confirmed that White Rabbit murdered him to gain access to his money."

"Not that it helped her in the end, according to the former members of her gang, White Rabbit had run out of money by the time of her death." Jenny responded with a frown as she looked at the case file for White Rabbit's murder. "If you ask my mom, she'd call that karma."

"I can't say I disagree, then again I learned better than to argue with old Irish ladies of the Catholic faith a long time ago." Malcolm responded, and Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Long story."

"Tell me that when we're on our lunchbreak." Jenny responded before she returned to her paperwork.

*back at the hospital*

Things had settled down at the hospital now that Target had been arrested and Kat was now back in her hospital room with her mother sitting at her bedside whilst Captain America made sure that Hawkeye and Spider-Man where okay following their battle with Target, however that was far from the only thing on Lin's mind and Kat knew it.

"So, shall we address the elephant in the room?" Kat asked as she glanced up at her mom and Lin nodded knowing what she meant. "That incident Target mentioned wasn't just me taking things too far on some random bank robber or anything like that, you remember when Julius Drexo paid you a visit whilst I was out with Marco?"

"Yes, I remember, I also remember you kicking yourself for not being there." Lin nodded in response and Kat sighed. "Fortunately, Captain America was there to scare off the thugs, what of it?"

"The day after that incident me and Marco were talking on the rooftop of that building across the street from ours, the one facing the back entrance?" Kat responded, and Lin nodded once she knew what building her daughter meant. "We were about to leave when I saw some thugs trying to break into the back entrance, I flew down to get a better idea of what their plan was, and I overheard the leader saying that their boss had hired them to set the house on fire and do unspeakable things to you if you resisted."

"I see." Lin nodded with a frown on her face. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because of what happened next, I sent the leader flying with a kick and with Marco's help I scared off his buddies, the lead thug was still conscious by the time we were done, and I went over for a chat with him." Kat added before letting out a deep sigh. "I just lost it! Knowing what he planned to do to you and our home, not to mention your business, I let a dark side of me come out that night and I left him with more than a few broken ribs before I threatened to set his face on fire if he didn't tell me who he worked for, Marco tried to talk me down but I didn't listen." Kat added before lowering her head.

"Kat, it's okay, you know you can talk to me about anything." Lin assured her daughter and Kat nodded with a small smile on her face.

"It wasn't until dad stepped in that I snapped back to reality, he let the thug go and whilst I was initially angry at him for it, he rightfully pointed out that if he presented that evidence in court it would get tossed out in record time and he'd lose his job." Kat added before leaning back. "For what it's worth, I confirmed that the thugs were working for Drexo but thanks to my stupid mistake there's nothing we can do to bring him to justice, dad knew that I would need time to cool off after that incident so I called it an early night as far as my patrol was concerned and we elected to keep the incident a secret from you, it helped that you guys didn't get around to installing CCTV at the back entrance until after the incident and after dad's death I had hoped it would never come up again." Kat added before lowering her head. "That's what I get for trusting that someone like Target would never find out, I know I screwed up big time, but I did it in your defense."

"I understand Katrina, but I do wish that you had found another way to deal with that man." Lin responded, and Kat let out an annoyed sigh.

"That's the worst part, during the meeting that ended with me getting kicked off the internship in the first place She-Hulk said that she was in the area and would've been happy to help." Kat responded before leaning her head back. "But now that I'm back on the internship I'm not making that mistake again, I let my anger cost me my place on the internship once and I had to fight the Hulk to get back on the program, pretty sure the only way I'd get back on the third time around is by defeating an enemy that's already taken care of most of the Avengers."

"Let us pray things never get that desperate." Lin responded with a nod and Kat nodded in agreement. "As I said to Target, as a parent it's my job to stick by you through thick and thin and now that Howard's gone that means that I'll need to do that more than ever, still you are a grown woman now, won't be too long until I'm helping you find your own place."

"As long as you don't stick me with a landlord that has a no pets policy, you won't hear me complain." Kat responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Lin. "Just don't start moving my stuff out until I'm back at a hundred percent, we both know that your back isn't as good as it once was."

"Failing that I could always ask one of your hero friends to lend a hand." Lin responded, and Kat grinned as the two women continued talking.

*a week later*

It had been a week since Kat was hospitalized and she had been discharged a couple of days ago, however due to her not being able to use her arm or wings during that week Kat had taken the time to make sure that they were in good shape before returning to the training grounds which had taken her a couple of days but she finally felt good enough to start training again.

"Retract." Kat ordered her wings once she had landed and the wings folded to her side, almost like they had never been broken to begin with. _"Mom was right, that week did go by quickly."_ Kat thought as she looked up at the large doors in front of her, Kat wasn't wearing her Dragon Girl outfit as that was in her backpack but she knew that she would likely have to get changed into it. _"After I was kicked out, I never thought I'd be welcome here again."_

"So, what are you waiting for." Kat looked up and grinned when she saw Marco hop off his glider right behind him and like Kat he was in his civilian clothes with the Mental Boy costume in his backpack. "Ever since you got kicked out this is what you wanted."

"It just feels surreal." Kat responded as she walked up to the door. "After my efforts during the jailbreak weren't enough to get me back in I was beginning to doubt that I'd ever be welcome back in and yet, here I am." Kat responded before sighing. "If only dad was still here to see this."

"I'm sure he's proud of you babe." Marco assured Kat and she grinned in response. "So, are we going to stay outside all day or head in?"

"Like that needed to be asked." Kat responded with a grin before opening the door, the two teens walked down the hallway and past Captain America's office passing by several SHIELD agents as they did. "Has there been any sign of Hellraiser?"

"You'd think that a giant, demonic biker wouldn't be that hard to miss but he's been under the radar since he defeated Spider-Man and Hawkeye." Marco responded with a shrug before they approached the doors to the training grounds and Marco turned to Kat. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready since I got kicked out." Kat responded with a grin before opening the door, the training grounds had been vastly expanded from what Kat remembered and as Cap had told her there was a lot more heroes around, and a lot more trainees. "Cap's been busy, wonder if I can keep up?"

"These guys just started, you can keep up." Marco assured her and Kat grinned as they stepped into the training grounds. "Some of the new guys here are pretty powerful in their own right." Marco added before noticing that Kat wasn't paying attention. "Kat?" Marco asked before noticing where she was looking.

Across the room from the two teens was a young woman around their age but that wasn't what drew Kat's attention, it was the electric blue mohawk that she was brushing, and she seemed to be dressed like a typical metalhead with a leather jacket over a black crop top, black jeans, boots, several facial piercings and a naval piercing alongside black make-up and spiked wristbands. "Who's she?" Kat asked as she turned her attention to Marco.

"Oh her? That's Jessica Andrews, alias Shockwave." Marco responded as he motioned to the young woman. "Got her powers in a freak electrical accident at a metal show I attended last week, I suggested that she start fighting crime with her powers and she impressed enough that she was recruited."

"Something seems off about her." Kat admitted, and Marco gave her a dirty look. "Not because she's a metalhead, I've known you long enough to know that most metalhead stereotypes are complete bs, but still."

"You're not the only one, Jessica thinks she's the best student here even though she just started." Marco explained before motioning her forward. "As far as powers goes, she's got similar abilities to Electro though a bit weaker, she's among the more powerful students here but she isn't a good student if I can be honest." Marco added before leading her to Captain America. "Kat's ready to start over Cap." Marco said to Captain America who smiled.

"Glad to hear it." Captain America said as he gave Kat a respectful nod which she returned before Captain America cleared his throat and getting the attention of the other students. "Students, I would say that we have a new student but that would be doing her a disservice." Cap added before motioning to Katrina. "Meet Katrina Sheng Lao, alias Dragon Girl, you may have heard of her and the reasons behind her dismissal, but she has been welcomed back with open arms." Captain America added, and the other students broke into excited whispers.

"Cap hasn't been talking about why I was dismissed, right?" Kat asked as she turned to Marco who shook his head.

"No but there have been rumors spreading about, I've done my best to dispel the nastier ones." Marco assured her, and Kat grinned before a female laugh echoed throughout the room.

"This is Dragon Girl?!" Jessica scoffed as she pushed through the crowd and locked eyes with Katrina. "I'm not impressed, so what if you've got wings, Super Strength, agility, endurance and training from Cap." Jessica added as she opened the palm of her hand and caused a ball of electricity to appear. "I've got all that and power over electricity itself, I could fry you in an instant."

"Is that a challenge?" Kat asked as she walked up to the woman and realized that she was two inches taller than Kat and had electric blue eyes to go with her hair. "Because I think that electrical accident fried your brain as well." Kat added with a cocky grin and Cap grinned.

"That seems like a good test of your abilities." Captain America responded as he turned to them. "Katrina, Jessica, get changed into your costumes and meet in the sparring room, who knows, maybe Kat will teach her some humility."

"Oh please, what can she teach me that I don't already know?" Jessica scoffed before smirking. "But fine, you want me to put the old bitch down? I'd be happy too."

" _She does know we're the same age, right?"_ Kat wondered mentally as she glanced at Jessica. "And I'll happily put her in her place as well." Kat added before the two women left to get changed.

*twenty minutes later*

As Kat and Marco walked down the hallway to the sparring room Kat, who was dressed in the Dragon Girl costume sans her mask which she was in the middle of putting on, turned to Marco.

"So, I get that she's powerful and all." Kat commented as she put on her mask and turned to Marco. "But how is she at hand to hand?"

"That's pretty much the only thing she's a good student at, seriously she took to hand to hand combat in much the same way you did," Marco responded as he turned to his girlfriend. "In fact, the rest of the students are afraid to face her in the sparring ring because of it, She-Hulk had to basically take over as her sparring partner."

"I can see why, electric powers plus hand to hand combat skills? If I wasn't as strong as I was, I'd be afraid to face her as well." Kat admitted before turning to Marco. "What about you? How did you fair against her?"

"Basically, waited her out with my shields until I got an energy blast ready and sent her flying out of the ring, bruised her ego quite a bit." Marco responded getting a giggle out of Kat. "And she is as strong as she says so don't expect to go all One Punch Woman on her."

"You've been watching too much anime again, haven't you Marco?" Kat teased him before the two teens opened the door to the training room and saw Jessica, and Kat couldn't help but gawk at her costume.

It was black and yellow with the yellow parts being shaped like electric bolts but that wasn't what caught Kat's attention, rather it was how much skin Jessica was showing off, with her midriff and ample chest exposed and the lower half of the costume basically amounting to hot pants, thankfully Jessica had enough sense to cover her face as she wore a black mask with the mohawk sticking out of it. "I thought the female costumes were being designed by women?" Kat whispered to Marco who shook his head.

"They are, thing is her powers make it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for thugs to shoot her so she uses that as an excuse to flaunt her body." Marco explained, and Kat frowned. "Besides, your hardly one to talk."

"Yeah, except I'm only showing off the lower half of my midriff and that's about it, she on the other hand may as well be wearing a bikini top and jean shorts." Kat responded before hopping into the ring and folding her arms. "I thought this was a sparring contest, not a mud wrestling match."

"Funny." Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes. "Besides, if you've got it, flaunt it, at least I have boobs to show off." Jessica taunted Kat and her eyes narrowed.

"Jessica, what have I told you about body shaming the other female trainees?" Captain America reprimanded her, and Jessica frowned as the two women glanced at Captain America. "Okay you two, normal rules apply, however as you can both fly I must remind you to keep it in the ring, we don't want a repeat of what happened last time Jessica."

" _Note to self, as Marco about that later."_ Kat thought before turning to Jessica and getting in a fighting stance. "Ready when you are."

"I was born ready." Jessica smirked as she did likewise whilst Marco took up a position at ringside, as soon as the bell rung the two women flew at each other before delivering simultaneous punches to each other's cheeks powerful enough to send each other stumbling back, Jessica rubbed her cheek in pain before smirking. "Not bad, but you haven't seen anything yet!"

"I was about to say the same thing!" Kat responded with a grin before mentally commanding her wings to come out earning some oos and ahs from the other trainees not named Marco. _"Almost forgot, these guys haven't seen me with my wings out yet, guess I'd better give them a show."_ Kat thought as she got ready to fly at Jessica.

"Those are your wings? They looked better out of costume." Jessica scoffed as she started forming electricity in her hands. "Not that it matters, because I'm about to clip your wings!" Jessica added as Kat started flying towards Jessica who started flying above the ring whilst throwing electricity at Kat which she barely avoided before flying after her.

"That didn't take long." Captain America commented with a sigh as he watched the two women exchange blows above the ring.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that it stayed in the ring that long." Hawkeye commented as he walked up to Cap with a frown on his face. "Jessica's always had a problem with listening to authority and Kat's been known to show off."

"Kat? Show off? Since when?" Cap asked with a skeptical look on his face and Hawkeye shook his head.

"When you called her and Marco up to that press conference, when she insisted on going out on patrol rather than wait for Marco's hoverboard, when she saved those kids from a fire, that whole battle against the Hulk…." Hawkeye trailed off as he listed the examples. "If her arm and wings weren't broken I bet she would've helped us out against Target as well."

"Point taken." Cap admitted as they watched the two women brawl above the ring. "I'll give them a few minutes before I call off the fight."

"Why don't you just admit that I'm your better before I humiliate you Dragon Girl?" Jessica taunted her as she kicked away the shorter girl and went to shock her only for Kat to dodge. "You can't keep this up forever!"

"I can keep going all day!" Kat retorted as she went for a punch only for Jessica to duck up it and slam her fist into Kat's midsection doubling over the Chinese girl before Jessica drove both fists into her upper back sending her plummeting back towards the ring. "Hah, I think I win this one! So much for the mighty Dragon Girl!"

"I'm not going down that easy!" Kat responded as she recovered from the blow and righted herself before flying right at Jessica, almost instinctively Kat went for the spin dash attack using the distance from the ring to Jessica to build up momentum.

" _She's going all out."_ Cap thought with a frown as he watched the fight. _"I'm calling this off before either of them end up in hospital! And I bet that Kat would rather not return to hospital after just spending a week there!"_

"You think spinning is going to save you? Guess again!" Jessica responded before she threw electricity at Kat and because she was in spin dash mode Kat couldn't dodge it this time, Kat's wings protected her from the electricity at first but it caused her to slow down and lose momentum before she was eventually forced to abandon the move. "Ready for more?" Jessica taunted Kat as she produced more electricity from her hands.

"Shockwave, Dragon Girl, that's enough! Return to the ring, now!" Cap's voice rang out and Kat followed his instructions almost immediately whilst Jessica hesitated before landing in the ring. "I said before the match that you were to keep this in the ring, instead you wasted no time in ignoring my instructions Jessica."

"Hey, she started it by getting those wings out!" Jessica protested, and Kat glared at her. "How else was I supposed to compete with her increased speed?!"

"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it." Cap responded, and Jessica frowned as she folded her arms. "And Dragon Girl, using your best attack on a fellow trainee? I thought you were better than that."

"Sorry Cap blame instinct." Kat apologized, and it took him a few seconds before Cap accepted the apology. "Though it did show me something to work on when fighting villains with powers like hers."

"I suppose you do have a point in that regard." Cap conceded with a nod as he approached the ring. "Well, you two are already in your uniforms so I guess it couldn't hurt, I'm sending you two out on patrol together, it's clear to me that you need to let off some steam and who knows? Maybe Shockwave will learn something."

"Just one problem with that Cao." Kat pointed out as she glanced at Shockwave. "How long will it be before we come to blows again? Hellraiser's still out there and if we run into him whilst we're bickering then we'd be sitting ducks."

"True." Cap nodded in agreement before glancing around the room. "Marco, go get changed into the Mental Boy costume, you're going with them."

"You expect me to play referee to two smoking hot ladies? What's to stop me from grabbing a bag of popcorn if they do come to blows and start a catfight?" Marco responded, and Cap frowned.

"The possibility of people getting hurt because of that catfight." Cap responded, and Marco went to reply before nodding. "The rest of you? Resume your training." Cap instructed the students and they nodded before heading off in different directions.

"Hey, I know we had our differences back there." Kat commented as she wiped the sweat from her brow and offered Jessica a handshake. "But that was a good fight." Kat added, and Jessica hesitated before taking it.

"Your right, it was a good fight." Jessica said before tightening the grip on Kat's hand and pulling her in close. "One that I would've won if Cap hadn't stepped in."

"Are you always this competitive?" Kat asked with a surprised look on her face and Jessica grinned.

"I was a pro gamer before I took up the Superhero gig." Jessica responded as she let go off Kat's hand. "So the answer is yeah, I am always that competitive, because I know that I can back it up." Jessica added before she left the ring. "Next time we fight, Cap won't be there to save you."

"Is that a threat?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow as she walked over to the ring ropes and leaned on them as Jessica gave her a reassuring grin.

"It was a promise, nothing more." Jessica responded before walking off.


	17. Shock to your System

It had been a couple of hours since Kat and Marco were sent out on patrol with Jessica and right now the three teens had stopped for a break atop a building opposite a bank, Jessica was the first one to touch down followed closely by Kat and whilst Marco got off his glider Kat turned to Jessica as the three teens took off their masks.

"So, I know we got off to a bad start back there." Kat commented as she walked up to the slightly taller girl who looked up briefly from her phone. "But if we're going to work together on patrols like this, we're going to have to knock off the bickering."

"Oh, I agree." Jessica nodded in agreement before she adjusted a bra strap. "Not as much fun beating up bad guys when we're making snide jabs at each other."

"Well that and it got to the point that one of the thugs we caught stealing from that jewelry store told you, and I quote, shut up and kiss already." Marco responded as he leaned against the wall and the two girls gave him a playful glare. "Not that I wouldn't have minded off course."

"Oh, please Marco, just because I'm bi doesn't mean I flirt with any girl with a pretty face." Jessica responded with a grin earning a raised eyebrow from Kat. "What? He didn't tell you?"

"Considering that I just got out of the hospital a few days ago and I didn't learn about the new recruits until I arrived at the training grounds, no." Kat responded with a shrug as she glanced at Jessica. "Besides that, I'm straight and I'm dating Marco, I'm sure he wouldn't mind watching and I have nothing against gay or bi people, but I don't see me kissing another woman until I start drinking again."

"Again?" Jessica asked with a raised eyebrow and Kat shook her head.

"Long story but my dad barred me from drinking until I turn twenty-one due to an incident at our hometown." Kat responded, and Jessica scoffed.

"Look at daddy's girl over here!" Jessica teased her, and Kat's eyes narrowed. "What? Does your dad not let you out past curfew as well?"

"My dad was a cop." Kat responded as she glared at Jessica. "And he was shot and killed in the line of duty last week, so I'd appreciate it if you'd end that conversation there!" Kat added, and she could just tell that Jessica was immediately regretting her choice of words.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." Jessica said remorsefully, and Kat nodded to indicate that she accepted the apology. "Your dad was a cop, was that why you became a hero?"

"Part of it, yeah." Kat responded with a sigh as she glanced up at Jessica. "What about you?"

"Me and my dad…. never really got on, to say the least." Jessica responded as she lowered her head. "According to him, I was the product of a night between him and a couple of hookers, he was too drunk to remember how many but about nine months later one of the hookers dropped me off at his doorstep with a note that read "she's your problem now"." Jessica added before folding her arms. "Bastard abused me, physically, mentally, sexually, you name it! Eventually he passed out from drinking so much and I used the opportunity to get run away."

"Shit, now I'm feeling terrible." Kat responded with a sad sigh and it was clear that Marco shared her sentiments. "Did you ever report him?"

"I was found by a cop and after I told him what had happened he couldn't get the arrest warrant fast enough." Jessica responded before letting out a deep breath. "Turns out my old man had one last fuck you in him, he hung himself in his cell before he could face a judge, and to put things in perspective, I was sixteen at the time. and there wasn't a therapist in the world that could help me with the shit I grew up with, then I discovered metal." Jessica added before producing electricity from her hand. "Which eventually led me to become the ass kicker I am today."

"Well, I'm glad it's working out for you." Kat nodded with an uneasy grin before Jessica returned to her phone. _"I know Marco told me that metal helped him through some rough times in his life but something like that? I'm not about to claim that I'm a psychologist or anything but it sounds like she could've used the help, maybe Cap should consider hiring one to help trainees with issues like hers."_ Kat thought as she turned her attention to Marco. _"He did say that he'd take me to see Dr. Strange tomorrow so maybe I can bring it up then?"_

"Err, whoops, I forgot to plug in my earphones." Marco's voice, alongside cheesy music and the kind of sound effects that came from only one genre of film, rang out breaking Kat's train of thought and Kat face-palmed whilst Jessica walked up to him.

"Seriously Marco? Your looking at porn in public?!" Kat asked as she ran her hand down her face. "We're supposed to set a good example for kids, not do shit like that!"

"Hmmm, Penthouse Sluts 5, one of my favorites." Jessica commented with a grin as she looked at Marco's phone and Kat face-palmed again.

"Don't encourage him!" Kat added before shaking her head. _"Why am I getting the feeling that I'm the only sane one here? Jessica's got an ego, the size of the Hulk's bicep and mental issues to match and Marco is watching a porn film! Could really use something to break the awkwardness right now!"_ Kat thought before her train of thought was interrupted when they saw a van crash into the front of the bank followed by several thugs entering the bank. "I can't believe I'm about to say this out loud but masturbate to porn later, we have a bank robbery to stop!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Marco nodded in agreement as he turned off his phone and pocketed it whilst the two girls put their masks on and Marco put on his helmet. "So, what's the plan? Move around the van and kick ass or move it?"

"Do any of us have the strength to move a van by picking it up?" Kat asked, and Marco shook his head whilst Jessica did the match in her head before shaking it as well. "Yeah, thought not and moving it the old-fashioned way would take to long and put civilians at risk, I say we find an alternate way in and take it from there!"

"I think I see a skylight on the bank's roof." Jessica responded as she looked around. "I think that's our best bet!"

"Good, just remember, be careful because there are civilians in that bank." Kat responded as she started to fly, and Jessica scoffed before she started to fly as well.

"You may have been doing this for longer Kat, but this isn't my first rodeo." Jessica responded with a cocky grin before she started to gather electricity around her. "See on the other side!"

"That's my line!" Kat protested before Jessica flew off, Kat sighed in annoyance as Marco hopped on the glider. "Ready to show her how it's done?"

"Always." Marco responded before they flew off after Jessica.

*meanwhile across town*

Whilst the three heroes were going out on patrol it was just another night at one of the city's seedier bars.

"Sorry, if your name's not on the list, you're not getting in." The bouncer apologized half heartedly to the two young, scantily clad women if front of him after he checked the guestlist, one of the women tried to use her good looks to get inside the bar which the other quickly joined in on at which point the bouncer rolled his eyes. "Maybe that would've worked on someone younger, who wasn't married, and was straight, so in other words, move along!" The bouncer told the two women who pouted before walking off, the bouncer checked the list again not noticing the massive form in front of him. "Name?"

"Big Jeff." Hellraiser responded and the bouncer scoffed.

"Buddy, you're like the fifth person tonight who put "big" in front of their first name." The bouncer responded as he checked the list. "Gonna need a different name, otherwise? Get lost!" The bouncer added only for Hellraiser to grab him by the collar and pull him up to his face.

"Fine, call me Hellraiser!" Hellraiser responded and the patrons behind him suddenly lost all interest in getting into the club as they ran off.

"Get me security, the national guard, SHIELD, the Avengers, I don't give a shit! Just get someone down here!" The bouncer said into his earpiece as he stared down the much bigger villain. "I don't care how scary you are, you're not getting in!" The bouncer added and Hellraiser let go off him before he heard one of the two woman who had tried to enter the bar before him trip over a trash can in a hurry to get away from the massive Supervillain and he walked up to her.

"Do I look like I care about the list?" Hellraiser asked as he dragged the terrified woman in front of the bouncer and pinned her down. "How's this for an ultimatum? Either you let me in or they'll be so little left of her by the time I'm done with her that you'll still be picking up pieces of her weeks from now."

"Please, don't…..." The woman pleaded but that was all she said before Hellraiser covered her mouth.

"Shut up!" Hellraiser responded as he started ripping away at her clothes until she was down to her underwear, however just as he went to remove her underwear…

"Please stop! The boss wants to see you for some god forsaken reason!" The bouncer responded after he hung up on his boss and Hellraiser turned to him. "Once you enter the bar, turn left and go up the stairs, the boss's room is the one at the end of the hallway."

"Next time darling, you won't be so lucky." Hellraiser warned the woman before he got off her and entered the bar, once the massive Supervillain was gone the woman scrambled to her feet and tried to cover herself up with her hands.

"Here." The bouncer said as he tossed a few ten-dollar notes at the woman and she looked at them before turning to him. "There's a women's clothing shop down the block from here, look for Cecelia's, my sister works there, tell her Luigi sent you and she'll look after you." Luigi added, and the woman hesitated before picking up the money and running off. _"Damn monsters don't know why my boss puts up with scumbags like him."_ Luigi thought as he lit a cigarette up and started smoking. _"Especially after the last guy got a shotgun blast to the back, courtesy of the Scourge of the Underworld."_

*back at the bank*

"That's it, no one tries anything stupid, no one gets hurt." The leader of the thugs said as the bank tellers readily filled their bags with money, there was twelve thugs in total and they were all wearing ski masks whilst carrying automatic weapons. "We're done here boys, everyone get back to the van!"

"Sorry, but your going to have to take a raincheck on that!" Shockwave's voice rang out and the twelve thugs looked up to see her enter the bank via the skylight alongside Kat and Marco. "Because we're here to kick bubblegum and chew as, and we're all out of ass."

"Err, don't you mean "kick ass and chew bubblegum"?" One of the other thugs responded whilst Kat face-palmed and Marco barely kept his laughter contained.

"Next time Jess leave the pre-asskicking one liners to me." Kat whispered to the taller girl who nodded in response before they three heroes swopped down to deal with the thugs. "So, what's the plan exactly?"

"I'll take the six guys near the vault you guys divide the others amongst yourselves." Shockwave responded after she looked around the bank and before Kat and Marco could object Shockwave flew over to the thugs trying to open the vault.

"Okay, I know you said that it's next to impossible to shoot her because of her powers but that's still six people shooting at her." Kat responded as she shook her head and Marco nodded in agreement. "Soon as we finish these idiots off, we should help her before she gets turned into Swiss Cheese."

"Agreed." Marco nodded in agreement before Kat swooped down at the lead thug and sent him flying with a kick knocking him out, the thug directly behind her pointed his gun at her but Kat quickly span around and melted the muzzle with her fire breath.

"So, beginning to regret your life choices yet?" Kat taunted the thug and didn't give him a chance to reply before knocking him out with a punch to the gut, Kat glanced over at Marco just in time to see him knock out his thugs with his telekinetic fists. "When did you learn to do that exactly?" Kat asked as the last of her thugs charged at her only for Kat to knock him out with a backhand. "I don't remember you having that ability whilst the internship was just me and you."

"Oh that? Just something I developed a couple of days after you got the boot from the internship." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat frowned. "Don't worry, you'll catch up."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kat responded before they heard the gunshots coming from the vault. "Oh, right, Shockwave."

"We'd better go help her." Marco said with a nod before they flew over to her.

*back with Shockwave*

"Hey, I knew female Superhero outfits are typically revealing but you look like someone from a porno." One of the thugs said once he saw Shockwave and Jessica scoffed. "One of the weird German ones!" The thug added, and Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Speaking as someone who has watched many pornos, especially German ones, I may as well be dressed as a nun compared to some of the outfits I've seen in those films." Jessica responded before gathering up electricity around her. "Come on boys, hit me with your best shot!"

"You heard her! The thug responded before the thugs opened fire at Shockwave and Jessica cupped her hands to her side.

"Ka-Me-Ha-Me-HA!" Jessica shouted before launching the electricity at the bullets causing them to stop in mid air and drop to the ground beneath her. "Want to try that again? Or do I have to come down there and beat you off?" Jessica added, and the thugs shared a worried look before Jessica swooped down and started beating up the thugs.

"Hey Shockwave, you okay down…" Kat trailed off as she barely avoided a thug being sent flying in her direction. "I guess you are."

"What? Did you get worried about the gunshots?" Jessica asked as she knocked out the last of her thugs with an uppercut and she turned to Kat. "Not the first time I've beaten off that many guys at once!"

" _Knowing her, I'm not sure if that innuendo was intentional or not."_ Kat thought before glancing over at the van which was still occupying a spot in the front entrance. "We'd better move the van, otherwise the police won't be able to arrest the thugs."

"Good point." Jessica nodded in agreement before flying up to Kat and joining the Chinese girl at the van, they struggled with the van for a few seconds before they finally dislodged it and moved it to the side to make sure it didn't crash into any civilians. "Well, that was fun, where's Marco?"

"Right behind you." Marco responded as he flew up to the two women. "We'd better get out of here." Marco added, and the two girls nodded before flying away.

*later*

The three teens stopped atop a high-rise rooftop and like before they removed their masks, Marco set on the edge of the roof whilst Jessica walked up to Kat who leaning against the entrance to the roof.

"You did make sure that he isn't watching porn again, right?" Kat asked as Jessica walked up to her and Jessica shook her head. "That doesn't really answer my question."

"Nah, we finished watching Penthouse Sluts 5 on the way over." Jessica responded with a shrug and Kat frowned. "What? You have an issue with your boyfriend watching porn?"

"More like I have an issue with him watching porn whilst we're out on the town doing patrol, not to mention that one-time Captain America caught him watching porn during one of my training sessions." Kat responded as she shook her head. "I had never heard Cap read anyone the riot act before and I'm not in a hurry to experience that again, Iron Man was just wondering why he needed porn when he had a girlfriend like me?"

"I don't know, maybe he wanted to look at some girls with tits?" Jessica teased her with a shrug and Kat's eyes narrowed. "Kidding, besides your boobs aren't that small."

"Considering I was the captain for my old high school's Girls Track Team, I'm surprised they're not smaller." Kat responded with a shrug before sighing. "How do you do it Jess?"

"Kick ass whilst looking this good?" Jessica asked as she raised her hands and rested her hands behind her head. "Or something else?"

"Something else, besides I still look good." Kat asserted before sighing. "When I first started out as Dragon Girl I wore make-up under the mask, didn't realize until I got home from patrol that night that said make-up had been smudged up to hell and back and I had to reapply it." Kat explained, and Jessica nodded knowing what she meant. "Yet here you are with your make-up intact, I'm not sure if it's the stuff I've been using or anything like that?"

"What make-up do you use?" Jessica asked, and Kat shrugged.

"Just some generic store brought stuff, like I said before, I was an athlete before I became a hero and I was more interested in staying in shape than looking good, though if you ask Marco or any of the other boys from that school I didn't need much help in that department." Kat shrugged her shoulders in response as she rolled her eyes. "I typically applied the bare minimum amount of make-up because my mom thought I look better with it and wouldn't let me leave the house otherwise, she lightened up that stance since I became a hero."

"Wait, your parents know that you're a hero?" Jessica asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, okay, knew in your dad's case but still."

"Didn't even last one day before they found out." Kat admitted with a frown. "Shocker, Jack O'Lantern and Rhino had just robbed a bank opposite a pizzeria that me and Marco were eating out at the time, I figured we could defeat them before Spidey showed up or wait for Spidey to show up and let him handle it, only problem? We didn't have costumes yet and the ones that were being designed were being sowed by Marco's little sister."

"And my dad put the kibosh on that faster than you can say "those outfits wouldn't have protected us" the moment he found out." Marco chimed in and Kat frowned with a nod.

"And as luck would have it, dad happened to be out on patrol that day and got a call from my mom alerting him to the fact that I had powers and was using them to fight criminals, my parents were not amused at first, but they came around eventually." Kat added and Jessica. "So, back on topic about the make-up crises?"

"Sure, just hold still for a second." Jessica responded before pocketing her phone and stepping into Kat's personal space before she put her hands on Kat's shoulders one after the other, Kat gave her an uneasy look as she glanced at the taller girl's hands what made things even more awkward for Kat was the way that Jessica tilted her head made it look like she was going to lean in for a passionate kiss.

"Are you two about to make out?" Marco asked as he walked up to the two women with a confused look on his face. "Because if yes, can you wait for me to swoop down to that corner store and buy a bag of popcorn?"

"Shut up Marco!" The two women said simultaneously, and Marco backed off.

"Uh huh, yep, my mom's stuff should work just fine." Jessica added before backing away from Kat and Kat raised an eyebrow at Jessica's comment. "My stepmom's a make-up artist who makes her own product, she made special make-up for me that won't smudge up under my mask and it shouldn't take too much convincing to talk her into letting me give you some." Jessica explained, and Kat frowned as she folded her arms. "And yes, they come in colors other than black."

"Fine, but did you have to look at my face that way?" Kat asked with an annoyed look on her face. "I thought I told you earlier that I have no sexual interest in other women?"

"I know, I just wanted to watch you squirm a bit, and see your boyfriend's reaction." Jessica responded, and Kat frowned before they felt their stomachs rumble. "But I guess that can wait until after dinner, anyone know a good Chinese place? I mean we're in Chinatown so there's bound to be some?"

" _How far are we from mom's restaurant?"_ Kat wondered before looking out towards were her home was and nodding. "Yeah, actually, I know a place, does the best dumplings in the area."

"Oh really?" Jessica responded with a raised eyebrow. "You know that that doesn't narrow things, down right? We are in Chinatown after all, what makes you so sure of that?"

"My mom owns the place and is also the head chef." Kat responded with a grin and Jessica blinked a couple of times before grinning. "She has no formal training, but she's been cooking most of her life, hell she planned to apply for MasterChef a couple of years ago, but she's been having back problems." Kat added, and Jessica nodded.

"Fancy place or mom and pop restaurant?" Jessica asked, and Kat shook her head.

"Mom and Pop, my house is around the back of the place for god's sake." Kat responded getting a laugh out of Jessica. "Dinner service should be starting in an hour, we get there early enough we should get a seat."

"Nice, just let me swing home and grab a change of clothing." Jessica said as she started to fly after putting her mask on. "You got my number, right?"

"We just met yesterday, so no." Kat responded, and Jessica wrote it down on her hand before showing it to Kat who promptly added it to her contacts.

"I'll send you a text when I'm dressed." Jessica added, and Kat nodded.

"Sure, and I'll text you the address." Kat responded with a nod before Jessica flew off, Kat and Marco put their masks on and they started to fly as well. "Something still feels off about her."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Marco asked as the two teens flew towards Kat's family's restaurant. "I mean, she's nice enough once you get past her arrogance but it's clear that her childhood has traumatized her, and she needs help, even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"Yeah, I thought that she was going to use the make-up convo as an excuse to lock lips with me for a minute there." Kat responded before shaking her head. "She was with that bastard of a father until she was sixteen, right?"

"Yeah, and she's eighteen now, you'd think she'd have learned at least some social skills in those two years." Marco nodded in agreement before sighing. "Hopefully she behaves herself during dinner service."

"One can only hope." Kat nodded in agreement before they flew off.

*meanwhile*

It was getting close to the late shift at NYPD and the criminals in the holding cells were getting ready to go to bed by this point, all except one.

"What do you mean "no lawyer wants to represent him"?" Jenny asked with an exasperated look on her face and the captain shook his head as the two cops glanced towards Target who was sitting in a dark corner of his cell. "They do realize that he won't talk unless he gets a lawyer, right?"

"Yeah but the ambulance chasers are worried." The captain responded with a frown. "That if they represent the guy who lead the revival of the Scourge organization then their families would be targeted in retaliation! Look, I just got off the phone with Nelson and Murdock and if all else fails they'll send their best attorney to represent him."

"The blind guy?" Jenny asked with a skeptical look on her face and the captain nodded. "Not saying that he isn't a talented attorney but at the same time, how is Target supposed to help with his case when the lawyer's notes are all in braille."

"Never was an issue before." The captain responded as Target stepped out of the darkened corner. "Doesn't matter anyway, with Kara's testimony and the attempted hit on Kat we've got a slam dunk case against him!"

"You needn't concern yourself with a disabled attorney." Target's voice rang out and the two cops turned to him. "I will represent myself if it speeds the process along."

"Well then, you just made the DA's job a lot easier, because you'll have a fool for a client." The captain said as he shook his head before he went to return to his office.

"Not that it matters." Target added as he leaned against the wall. "There are still agents of mine out there who you haven't captured yet."

"Excuse me?!" Jenny asked as she turned to Target who looked at her with a smirk.

"Did you really think my organization just consisted of me, Shaun Gibson, Kara Summers, Jason Hackman and Donovan Richards?" Target asked mockingly as Jenny and the captain turned to him. "They are out there, waiting for the right opportunity to kill their target and as soon as they find out that I've been arrested, they'll waste no time in breaking me out."

"Who are they? Can you give us a description at least?" Jenny demanded, and Target remained silent. "People's lives are at stake Target…..."

"Supercriminals are not people, they are rabid animals." Target responded coldly as he glared at the young cop. "And my agents will put them down." Target added, and Jenny frowned before walking off.

*an hour later*

" _Barely been back with the Internship for a day and I've made friends with a girl with powers over electricity, an ego almost as big as Marco's porn stash, mental issues a mile wide and with no sense of personal space."_ Kat thought as she entered her bedroom through the window and started getting changed out of her Dragon Girl costume, she had left her day clothes at the training grounds and had planned to fly back and grab them until she realized that there was no way she'd make it back in time for dinner service. _"At least I texted Cap and asked him to leave my clothes in my locker for when I turn up to training tomorrow."_ Kat thought before she glanced up at the picture that had been taken off her after she won her last athletics competition. _"If you had told me that I'd not only know Captain America but have him on speed dial back the I would've called you crazy."_ Kat thought as she put her top and jeans on, by the time she put on her socks she heard her phone go off and answered it whilst putting it on video phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Kat, Marco here." Marco's voice rang out and Kat grinned when she saw her boyfriend. "I'm waiting outside the restaurant, you want to meet us inside?" Marco added, and Kat frowned when she saw that he was alone.

"Where's Jessica?" Kat asked with a confused look on her face.

"She lives over in Queens, told me that she won't be too long though." Marco explained, and Kat nodded in response.

"I'll be down in a minute, literally just got changed." Kat responded as she put her trench coat on. "By the way, you know anywhere I can get shoulder pads? Meant to ask you after the jailbreak incident but, well, you know…."

"Yeah, I hear you, to help hide your wings, right?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded in response. "Shouldn't be that hard to find a Sporting Goods Store that sells them, whether they sell them in women's sizes is another question entirely, don't exactly get many female quarterbacks."

"Well if you do find one that sells them in women's sizes, let me know." Kat responded before she exited her room. "I'll see you outside."

"Sure." Marco responded with a nod. "Jessica just texted me to let me know that she's on her way back. See you in a bit."

"Here's hoping she's dressing consultatively this time." Kat sighed in response before hanging up. _"Back when I was an athlete my parents let me get away with wearing sports bras to athletics events since they came with the territory, don't think mom would approve of me hanging out with someone dressed like Jessica."_ Kat thought before she started walking towards the stairs and then towards the door to the restaurant. _"Either way it's a good thing I texted mom to let her know that we'd be stopping here for dinner."_ Kat thought before stepping out into the restaurant and looking around.

"Ah Kat, there you are." Kat looked up and saw her mother making the final preparations in the kitchen and smiled. "You said that you were bringing Marco and a friend over?"

"Yeah but I wanted to get changed first, don't want to get stains on my Dragon Girl costume." Kat responded with a grin before the doors opened and Marco entered the restaurant alongside Jessica who, to Kat's relief was wearing a much less revealing outfit now.

"Huh, based on your description Kat, I was expecting something smaller." Jessica commented off-handedly, and Marco snorted as he tried to contain his laughter. "Not what I meant."

"Good to see you again Marco." Lin nodded to Kat's boyfriend who returned the nod. "Who's the other girl?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Jessica, a fellow trainee from the internship." Jessica introduced herself and Lin nodded. "We were out on patrol when I get hungry for some Chinese Food and Kat mentioned that you ran a restaurant, though I thought it was going to be smaller based on her description."

"Yes, well, I hope you enjoy my food." Lin responded before she motioned around the restaurant. "Feel free to take ant tables that aren't reserved, the wait staff won't be hear for another ten minutes at most anyway." Lin added, and the three teens grinned. "As for payment, don't concern yourselves, you are my daughter's friends after all." Lin added, and the three teens quickly grabbed a table. _"That Jessica girl would look better if her hair wasn't in a mohawk or dyed, then again I never did understand punk fashion and that is far from the only thing that concerns me, there is something unsettling about that girl, but I can't put my finger on it, I should talk to Kat about the company she keeps once dinner service is over."_ Lin thought before returning to preparing the kitchen.

"Hope you didn't have too much trouble finding this place Jess." Kat commented as she sat down next to Marco whilst Jess sat opposite her in their booth. "Marco said you lived in Queens."

"Eh, it wasn't that hard, besides I can get around the city a lot quicker flying which I'm sure you can attest too." Jessica responded, and Kat nodded in agreement before Marco handed the two girls a menu each before grabbing his own. "So, whereabouts in China are your family from?"

"Northern China, in a village about twenty minutes from Beijing by car." Kat explained with a shrug before motioning to Marco. "He can never pronounce it correctly, but it's called Cuandixia, I've never been there because my parents came over when I was a baby and we've never really had the funds to fly back home, I mostly chat with my family over there with Skype with mom's help since I don't speak much Mandarin and my family over there doesn't speak much English."

"That's too bad but hey who knows, maybe someday an Avengers mission will take you to your home country." Jessica suggested with a shrug and Kat grinned. "I never really traveled much growing up for the reasons we discussed earlier but that is a hope of mine with my work in the Avengers."

"Here's hoping we make it that far." Kat responded with a grin before sighing. "And hopefully I won't get dropped again, I had to battle The Hulk to get back on the Internship for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, I heard about that." Jessica responded with a nod before grinning cockily. "But that's one area I'm definitely better than you at, because not only can I totally take on The Hulk, but I can beat him."

" _Is she for real?"_ Marco and Kat wondered mentally before Kat shook her head.

"If you want to try, go ahead, I'll just be watching from as far away as possible with a bag of popcorn in my hands." Kat responded with a grin and Jessica shook her head. "Besides, The Hulk's in SHIELD custody right now so I doubt you'll get a chance any time soon."

"This is The Hulk we're talking about, we both know SHIELD won't be able to keep him in custody for much longer." Jessica responded and whilst she wanted to dissuade Jessica's lofty estimation of her abilities Kat couldn't help but agree. "So, where there any cute nurses at the hospital."

"Mostly, but most of the nurses that attended to me were women so there wasn't much eye candy for me." Kat responded with a frown as she leaned back. "In fact, the only male nurse I got ended up being the leader of the Scourge of the Underworld organization which lead to his defeat and capture."

"Err, yeah, I can see how that would kill the mood in a hurry." Jessica responded with a nervous laugh as the servers entered the restaurant ready to start service. "I mean, I wouldn't have minded the female nurses either but that's just me."

" _Right, almost forgot that she was bi."_ Kat thought as Dinner service started and patrons poured into the restaurant, the three teens placed their orders as soon as one of the servers approached them and Kat rested her chin on her hand as she leaned forward. _"I mean, Jessica seems nice enough, but I still can't get over the uneasy feeling I have about her, pretty sure I'm not falling in love with her, as much as Marco would love to watch our first make-out session, but her general attitude combined with her childhood makes me wonder what's really going on in her head."_ Kat thought before shaking her head. _"I'll talk to Cap about it tomorrow on the way to Dr, Strange's place, I'm sure its nothing but he's known Jess for long than I have, he's bound to have noticed something."_


	18. Stranger Things

Night had fallen on New York City and Kat, Marco and Jess were now at their homes enjoying a good night's sleep, however at the Raft prison facility it was a completely different story as Captain America was being led to the warden's office under heavy guard.

"Not so tough with those guards around, huh Cap?" Electro shouted mockingly as she came over to the cell wall. "All it will take is one more break out and your toast!"

"Shut it Frye!" One of the guards warned her whilst Captain America ignored her, and Electro folded her arms before sitting back down. "Sorry Cap, everyone's on edge since the breakout, the fact that so many prisoners escaped custody did not sit well with the mayor."

"No need to apologize." Captain America responded before he reached the warden's office, one of the guards opened the door for him and Captain America nodded in thanks before entering the office. "You wanted to see me?" Cap asked once the door was closed.

"Well, thanks to your efforts, most of the criminals who escaped The Raft are now back in prison." The warden responded as he turned to Cap. "Initially we believed that the power cut that led to the mass escape was caused by a power surge, well we were half right." The Warden added before turning his laptop around to show Cap what looked like CCTV footage. "It was caused by a surge but not the natural surge we initially thought." The warden added before hitting the play button.

On the screen showed the main generator to the prison facility and Cap confirmed via the time stamp on the video that it was on the day of the outage, a few seconds passed and a figure in a ski mask and black clothing stepped into view, it didn't take him long to identify the figure as a woman as she overloaded the generator with electrical powers. "You think it was Electro?" Cap asked as the camera went out due to the lack of power.

"The guards confirmed that Electro was in her cell at the time of the outage and we've already questioned her, as far as she knows, she's the only female Supervillain with powers like this." The warden responded before turning the laptop around. "On the other hand, Electro was in prison for the past year following her last battle with Spider-Man so she's not exactly a reliable source of information, do you know of anyone with powers similar to Electro?"

"Only one, Shockwave, one of my trainees." Cap responded after thinking for a moment. "But it couldn't have been her, she got her powers after the jailbreak."

"So, in other words, we might have a new villain with control over electricity on the scene," The warden responded with an annoyed sigh. "If your investigation turns up anything, let me know but if this Superhuman tries this again, who knows if we'll be able to get all the villains back." The warden added, and Cap nodded before walking off.

*the next day*

It was early in the morning at the training grounds and most of the trainees were hard at work trying to figure out their powers and how to improve them, that is all except a few.

" _God, I'm glad to be out of there!"_ Jessica thought as she stepped out of the training grounds through the automatic doors, the trainees were allowed occasional breaks and Jessica was taking full advantage of it as she got out her e-cig. _"Not as much fun without Kat or Marco around, the other students can't keep up with me and even She-Hulk's having trouble keeping up."_ Jessica thought before vaping for a few seconds not realizing the door was opening behind her. _"They may as well accept me into the Avengers now, its not like anyone else is on my level."_

"You know Cap's going to kill you if he sees you smoking on the training grounds, right?" A new, Syrian voice rang out and Jessica glanced over her shoulder to see a tall and muscular, Syrian teenager with medium length black hair, a matching goatee and brown eyes, standing behind her and frowned. "And that's if he doesn't report you for smoking pot."

"It's not pot, it's an e-cig." Jessica responded as she held it up to show him and he nodded in agreement. "Not sure if the old man knows the difference yet but he will! By the way Ehsan, you know where Kat and Marco are today?"

"Last I heard, Kat had some personal business to sort out and Cap agreed to help her, no other details besides that." Ehsan shrugged his shoulders as he walked forward. "Marco's just escorting his sister to school, apparently she's been dealing with some nasty, homophobic bullying."

"Yeah, sounds like something that could get real nasty, so I don't blame him." Jessica nodded in agreement before sighing. "I hate training, I'd much rather be out and about kicking ass, taking names, checking out Kat…..."

"Oh yeah, how did your patrol with Dragon Girl and Mental Boy go?" Ehsan interrupted her, and Jessica shook her head.

"Marco has excellent taste in metal and porn, Kat's a little high strung to say the least but once she loosened up she became good company." Jessica responded before sitting down on the barrier in front of them. "And her mom's an excellent cook."

"Her family owns that new Chinese restaurant that popped up recently, right?" Ehsan asked, and Jessica nodded. "Been meaning to try that place out but my patrols as Earthshaker haven't taken me anywhere near Chinatown yet."

"Well, if you ever go on patrol with the lovebirds, be sure to ask Kat if she can take you there." Jessica responded before getting an alert on her phone. "And that's my ten minutes up already, oh well, back to kicking ass." Jessica said before pocketing her e-cig and returning to the training grounds.

" _Is there anything that woman thinks about other than fighting? She's got some issues that's for sure."_ Ehsan thought as he watched her leave, _"Makes me wonder how Cap puts up with her."_

*elsewhere in the city*

By now it was early in the morning and Cap was waiting for Kat to show up to their agreed meeting point so that he could take her to see Dr. Strange, however that wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"Are you sure about that Tony?" Cap asked Iron Man as he waited for Kat to show up. "There was no sign of break-in."

"Not only that but the Raft's security cameras failed to pick up the perp, whoever she is, until she reached the generator." Iron Man responded with a nod as he looked at the generator. "As for the generator, damage seems consistent with the warden's story, my question is, why are we just learning about this now?"

"I asked the guards that on the way out, apparently that camera in particular is an older model and took longer to boot up." Cap responded with a frown as he glanced up to the sky just in time to see a familiar figure. "Gotta go, Kat just showed up."

"Fashionably late as ever I see, send her my regards off course." Tony responded before hanging up and Cap looked up to see Kat land in front of him.

"Yeah, I know I'm late." Kat said sheepishly before mentally ordering her wings to retract. "Some thugs tried to rob a guy at gunpoint, I sent them packing."

"Well, I guess I can think of worse reasons for being late." Cap responded, and Kat grinned in response. "Before I take you to see Dr. Strange, I have something to ask you."

"If it's whether or not I had any psychoactive drugs before that dream, I wouldn't know since I was still knocked out from that battle and I'm pretty sure they don't give those out at hospitals." Kat responded getting a chuckle out of Cap. "Seriously though, what's up?"

"During your patrol with Shockwave yesterday, did you notice anything off about her?" Cap asked, and Kat raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, this will just be between us."

"She mentioned having a really shitty childhood, and then mentioned that she never went to see any therapists, basically calling metal music her therapy." Kat commented after a minute of thinking and Cap raised an eyebrow. "I know you don't really care for it but Marco's told me numerous times that metal's helped him through some rough times in his life, that said after she told me that I couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling about her, she was nice enough but knowing what she went through I couldn't help but wonder if there was anything going on in her mind that she was hiding, for lack of better term." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "Marco noticed it as well, so did my mom."

"Your mom?" Cap asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Our patrol took us to Chinatown and we were hungry, so I suggested that we stop by my mom's restaurant, oh yeah, did you get my text about the clothes I left at the training grounds?" Kat asked, and Cap nodded.

"Yes, I had She-Hulk hang it up in your locker and they are ready for you to collect once you go there." Cap assured her, and Kat nodded. "As for Jessica's mental state, you're not the only one who's raised concerns about it."

"Really? Didn't she start this week?" Kat asked, and Cap nodded.

"Yes, and several of the trainees and the other heroes shared your sentiments, I don't know the extent of her childhood but if it is as bad as you say it is then we should keep an eye on her." Cap responded with a frown. "I did consider hiring a psychiatrist to asses the mental state of the trainees before I started this program, however as the program initially consisted of just you and Marco I didn't see it as cost affective and hiring one now would slow down training for the other trainees, still I will keep it under consideration."

"Consideration? Cap, what if she snaps and kills the other trainees?" Kat asked with a frown on her face. "Can't really keep it under consideration then, and on that note, why did you bring her up?"

"Last night I was called to The Raft by the Warden, apparently the surge that caused the power outage and the breakout was no accident, rather it was caused by a female villain with electrical powers." Cap explained, and Kat nodded. "Electro was ruled out as she was still in her cell at the time of the breakout and denied having an accomplice when questioned which leaves only one other candidate."

"Jessica." Kat nodded once she got the idea. "Didn't she get her powers whilst I was in hospital though?"

"That's what I thought, and Hawkeye confirmed it when I asked him to question her about it, but I'm having my doubts about her being truthful." Cap responded as he started to walk away. "This is being relayed to the other trainees but if Jessica brings up being at The Raft on that night, question her about it, and see if you can get a straight answer out of her." Cap added, and Kat nodded. "I hate to kick out a trainee but if they have committed a serious offence then I will have no choice but to drop them."

"And I'm living proof of that." Kat responded with a sigh as she thought back to her expulsion from the internship. "I think we've kept the good doctor waiting long enough." Kat added, and Cap nodded in agreement before motioning to her to follow him. "There is one thing I wanted to ask you about, something a lot more personal than this."

"Oh?" Cap asked with a raised eyebrow and Kat let out a deep breath.

"My dad's funeral is at the end of the week, my mom's got family flying in from China for it, not to mention all the police officers who will be attending, most of them don't even know that I'm a mutant but that's not what I want to ask you about." Kat responded as she turned to Cap. "Being his only child, my family is expecting me to make a speech at his funeral but I have no idea what I'd say, not only that back in my old high school I was the captain of the girl's track team and I was expected to give some big motivational speech to get the other girls pumped, lets just say that if that was the only qualification for being captain I wouldn't have lasted long as captain."

"That certainly explains how awkward the interview you gave after you saved those kids from a fire was." Captain America chuckled, and Kat grinned sheepishly. "If you need help writing it, ask me or Stark, depends on who's available, I've given my fair share of speeches in my time as has Stark, though right now he is busy investigating the Raft power outage." Captain America added, and Kat nodded. "And if your worried about giving the speech, don't be, just think of what a great man your father was and how much of a positive impact he had on your life and you'll be fine."

"Well, at least you didn't tell me to picture everyone in their underwear, considering how old some of my relatives are I think I'd rather battle the Hulk again than do that." Kat responded getting a laugh out of Cap before the two heroes walked along. "Thanks Cap."

"Don't mention it." Cap nodded in response as they approached Dr. Strange's home.

*elsewhere*

Whilst that was going on in the city the NYPD was as busy as ever.

" _Well, at least I'm finally off desk duty."_ Jenny thought as she walked into the NYPD with a cup of coffee in her hand, around her she could see the other officers hard at work and as she walked up to her desk she let out a sigh as she glanced over at where Howard's desk once was. _"His funeral's come around so fast, hope Kat can handle giving that speech."_

"Don't get to comfy Steele." The captain said as he walked up to her and Jenny looked up as she took a sip from her drink. "Target was busted out of jail overnight." The captain added, and Jenny spat out her drink in response.

"Again? What are the night staff, lazy?!" Jenny exclaimed in frustration before her eyes widened. "He was arrested trying to kill Kat, where is she now?!"

"I tried calling her mother, but she left the phone off, probably so she could focus on getting prep work done for tonight's Dinner Service." The captain responded before sighing. "And as for Kat herself, Dragon Girl just busted a group of thugs trying to assault someone, so I guess we know what she's doing."

"I don't care what she's doing, as long as Target's out there her life is in danger and her mother's been through enough these past two weeks." Jenny added before leaning back. "Let's hope that either us or a Superhero find him before he finds Kat."

*back with Kat*

Once they had reached Dr. Strange's home Cap had opened the door for Kat to let her in but that was the extent of his involvement as she wondered through the halls.

" _Not sure what I expected from the home of the Sorcerer Supreme."_ Kat thought as she glanced around at the strange artifacts that were being kept in glass cases. _"Didn't expect a museum of weird stuff, that's for certain."_ Kat thought before she reached a large staircase surrounded by even more artifacts and looked around. "Err, hello, paging Dr. Strange?" Kat called out before waiting for a few seconds. _"Knowing my luck, he's probably out somewhere else…"_

"Yes, yes, I am coming." Dr. Strange's voice rang out and Kat looked up to see the magic wielder coming down the steps. "Your one of the new heroes, aren't you? Dragon Girl isn't it?"

"Err, yeah that's me." Kat responded as Dr. Strange came down the steps. "Look, I get that your probably busy, but I need your help with something, my dad was killed recently…"

"Sorry, I don't do resurrections." Dr. Strange responded and Kat frowned as he turned his back on her. "I'm sorry for your loss but…"

"He was killed a week ago, pretty sure we're past the point of resurrecting him back to his old self." Kat responded and Dr. Strange turned to her. "Look, last week my dad visited me in my dreams and said that he had unfinished business that he needed to complete before he could pass on to the afterlife, he recommended that I come see you because you'd know more about his situation than either him or me could begin to understand."

"I see." Dr. Strange nodded before consulting a spell book. "Unfinished business is a simple thing to ascertain, if the person in question was murdered they might want to see their killer brought to justice, if they died peacefully then they'd want to see that their family members are well looked after, sometimes it is as simple as that, other times it is complicated." Dr. Strange explained before motioning for Kat to take a seat. "What can you tell me about your father? Any information you might have would be useful in determining his unfinished business."

"Okay." Kat took a deep breath before sitting down. "My dad was born in Beijing, China, met my mom in School and in his early twenties he moved to the village of Quandixia to be closer to her." Kat stated before leaning back. "Even then mom didn't give birth to me until they were in their thirties, at which point they moved to the US to start a new life, my mom worked from home for a while until she opened a Chinese restaurant in New York and my dad was a cop, started in the state police until he transferred to the NYPD a few weeks ago."

"Your father was a police officer, hmmm?" Dr. Strange asked and Kat nodded. "Let's skip to relevant parts, otherwise we'll be here all day."

"Right, my dad was one of the first ones to find out about my powers and supported me in my Superhero efforts." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "I'm guessing you heard about the recent jailbreak?"

"Heard about it after the fact, I was battling some extradimensional being that you couldn't begin to comprehend at the time of the jailbreak." Dr. Strange responded as he turned to her. "By the time I returned, all the criminals had been rounded up, please continue."

"After my group sent Electro, Shocker, Speed Demon, Jack O'Lanterm and Rhino back to the slammer we reconvened at NYPD to plan our next move, whilst I was there my dad went out of his way to me how proud he was of how far I had come as a Superhero." Kat added before wiping away a tear. "It was the last conversation I had with him whilst he was still alive, minutes later a Scourge of the Underworld agent attempted to kill Shocker in his cell, but my dad intervened and took the bullet for him, he later died on the operating table."

"I see." Dr. Strange nodded before closing the book. "Perhaps the business is to bring his killer to justice?"

"If only it was that simple, the agent committed suicide a few seconds after shooting my dad." Kat responded and Dr. Strange frowned. "The guy's boss has been brought to justice as well but again, if the business was resolved that easily I think he would've told me by now." Kat added as Dr. Strange walked up her and placed his hands on her cheeks. "Err, what are you doing?"

"Hold still for a moment." Dr. Strange instructed her and Kat did as she was told as Dr. Strange read her mind whilst his eyes glowed, this lasted about ten minutes before Dr. Strange let go. "You can go, I know what you need to do."

"That easy huh?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow before standing up. "Can you at least tell me what I need to do?"

"As I stated before Katrina, unfinished business can be something simple or something complex, and in this case, it's the latter." Dr. Strange explained and Kat gave him a confused look. "You must redeem an action that you committed as Dragon Girl for your father to pass on, I'm afraid I cannot tell you more than that."

"Why not?" Kat asked as she folded her arms. "And did you just use your powers to learn my real name? What else did you find out?"

"Just your real name, so I didn't have to keep referring to you as Dragon Girl." Dr. Strange responded and Kat nodded once she got the picture. "As for why not, that is the nature of unfinished business, you have to figure it out on your own."

"Well, thanks for the help Doc." Kat responded with an uneasy grin as she went to leave. "And for the record, most of the heroes I've met refer to me as Kat."

"Very well Kat, should I require the assistance of someone with your abilities I will call upon you." Dr. Strange responded with a nod before Kat left.

*outside*

Once she was out of the building Kat found Cap nowhere to be seen, instead she found a note left for her on a nearby trashcan and picked it up.

" _Kat, I had to head back to the training grounds to start today's training regimen, in the meantime you, Marco and Jessica will be doing some in field training with Wasp, Ant-Man and Thor and you will find them at the address provided."_ Kat read the message in her head before making a note of the address at the bottom of the note. _"That's just a couple of blocks from here, shouldn't take me too long to get there, especially with the wings out."_ Kat thought before getting ready to fly. _"Extract!"_ Kat commanded, and the wings spread out just as she took off. _"Wonder what Cap meant by in field training? It's not like me and Marco haven't gone out on patrol before."_ Kat wondered as she continued to fly away not aware that someone was watching her.

" _Blast, I had a chance to make the kill and I missed it."_ Target thought as he, dressed as a birdwatcher, watched Kat fly away. _"No, I did not miss the chance, I never miss! I just need to bide my time and wait for a more opportune moment to strike!"_ Target thought before walking off.

*a few minutes later*

It didn't take Kat long to find the other heroes as they were waiting for her on a rooftop near Times Square and she grinned before coming in for a landing, she glanced at the other two young heroes and noticed that they seemed to be distracted as Jessica was watching something on her phone and Marco just seemed distracted in general.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Kat commented once she landed and the other heroes turned to her. "Didn't get Cap's message until I was done with Dr. Strange, so what's this in-field training about?"

"Ask them." Marco responded as he motioned to the older heroes. "They wanted to wait for you to show up before they explained anything, though I will say that Jess getting caught watching porn twice made the wait worth it."

"Says the guy who got caught watching porn five times." Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes before pocketing her phone and turning to the older heroes. "So, now that Dragon Girl's here, can you tell us what this was about?"

"It's simple really, we're going to accompany the three of you on patrol to see how your progressing as a hero." Ant-Man responded, and the three teens nodded. "And before Jessica and Marco get into a fistfight over who gets to hang out with Thor for a day, it was already decided before we came here, Thor's with Kat, Wasp's with Marco and I'm with Jessica."

"Please, we all know who would've won that fight." Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes and the other heroes shook their heads. "I'm guessing we're heading off in different directions based on that description?"

"Got it in one." Ant-Man responded with a nod before he turned to Kat and Marco. "And as for the lovebirds, don't worry, you'll keep in contact though your earpieces, also Kat there is one thing you should know, it's part of the reason Thor volunteered to accompany you, Target was busted out of the NYPD last night."

"Great, that's just what I need right now." Kat responded with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice as Thor walked up to her. "Anything else before we head out?"

"If you run into Hellraiser, don't challenge him alone." Wasp responded with a frown on her face. "I don't think I need to remind you of what happened to Spider-Man when he tried that, if you do see him contact us and we'll get there as soon as possible."

"Right now, Cap is considering Hellraiser to be an Avenger level threat so unless Kat wants a repeat of her fight against the Hulk I strongly recommend following Wasp's advice." Ant-Man chimed in and the other heroes nodded in response. "I think that covers everything so let's go!" Ant-Man added, and the heroes flew off in different directions.

*a few minutes later with Jessica and Ant-Man*

Jessica had been flying around New York with Ant-Man tailing her for the past few minutes but already the troubled teen was getting bored as they neared Queens.

"This would be so much more fun with Kat instead of you." Jessica groaned as she flew through the city and Ant-Man shook his head. "At least I'd get some eye candy there!"

"Yeah, I'm not going there, what you do in your own time is your own business." Ant-Man responded, and Jessica shook her head as she continued to fly through the city. "So, are you actually interested in being a hero or are you doing this for the thrill of it?"

"If I didn't want to be a hero, do you think I would've accepted Cap's invite last week?" Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes and Ant-Man frowned. "Besides, the thrill's just a part of it!"

" _I'm not convinced by that."_ Ant-Man thought as watched Jessica fly threw the city. _"And I'm beginning to see why no one else wanted to accompany her, there's definitely something off-putting about that girl but I can't put my finger on it!"_

"Finally, some action!" Jessica's voice broke Ant-Man's train of thought and he looked down to see several criminals load a waiting car with bags of money from a store and speed off. "Leave this to me old man, I'm about to shock their worlds!" Jessica added with a cocky grin before flying off after the speeding car.

" _And now I'm hoping she has a plan other than "shock the car into submission."_ Ant-Man thought as he flew after Jessica.

*meanwhile with Kat and Thor*

Whilst that was going on Kat and Thor were busy busting up a bank robbery across town, however Kat wasn't happy with the result.

"You know, I never thought I'd be unhappy to break up a bank robbery with Thor." Kat admitted as the two female heroes watched the criminals be loaded into a police van. "Then again, that was the first time I've seen criminals surrendering that quickly without a fight!"

"Well, if you had just entered the bank on your own, they would've at least kept you entertained for a few minutes." Thor responded with a chuckle as the police closed the van doors behind the last criminal. "Unfortunately, most common criminals know better than to challenge the God of Thunder."

"Yeah, I guess, also minutes? I think you're giving the criminals to much credit!" Kat responded with a grin and Thor laughed before the two heroes flew off. "Have there been any sightings of Hellraiser."

"He was last seen entering a shady bar on the west side, we're on the east side so we shouldn't have to worry about him." Thor responded as the two heroes flew about. "Ant-Man and Shockwave are the ones that are closest to his last know position right now."

"Great, I bet an army of ants is going to be really effective against a guy who can turn his arm into a rocket launcher." Kat muttered under her breath a she shook her head. "Shockwave will put up a better fight but the only way we can beat a villain on his level is to work together."

"Indeed." Thor nodded in agreement before Kat spotted two familiar figures on a rooftop and motioned to Thor. "Blackout and Joystick? What are they doing up there?"

"I don't know but they're not attacking us so maybe they just want a chat." Kat responded before the two heroes landed on the roof and the villains turned to them. "Since you didn't cheapshot us I'm guessing your not looking for a fight?"

"Got it in one." Blackout responded as he shook his head. "Remember that massacre at the Bar with No Name last week? We were this close to being among the bodies."

"And your telling us this, why?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow. "And how did you escape? News Report said that all the gathered villains were sitting at the bar when they were gunned down."

"Because we were never there." Joystick responded as she folded her arms. "We bailed before the meeting could start, ended up saving our lives."

"Okay…." Thor trailed off as she and Dragon Girl shared a look. "Why?"

"We bailed the moment the Walrus showed up and made that ridiculous claim, look we were ready to just stay in hiding until Target got sentenced but after he got busted out we knew our days are numbered." Blackout responded before they held out their hands in a handcuff motion. "So, we're surrendering ourselves to SHIELD custody."

"No tricks, I know I bailed on the Thunderbolts to return to my old ways but I'm sincere here." Joystick added, and the two heroes shared a look. "We don't know where Target is but if Target keeps up his crusade you guys are going to run out of guys to beat up."

"Kat, I'll contact Cap and have him send some SHIELD agents over to apprehend them." Thor whispered to Kat who nodded in response. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure." Kat nodded in response before flying off. _"Well, that was weird, I wonder how Marco and Wasp are doing?"_

*meanwhile with Marco and Wasp*

"Shockwave stopped criminals from getting away, Dragon Girl and Thor scared some bank robbers into surrendering without a fight." Marco sighed as he read the news reports on the other heroes' exploits in the other parts of the city. "And we haven't gotten up too much!" Marco sighed as she flew around Central Park on his glider with Wasp not far behind him.

"It hasn't been that bad Marco." Wasp responded as she flew behind him and Marco shook his head. "I did manage to stop you from crashing into a few trees back there."

"Yeah well, if we run into a plant themed Supervillain at least that would be interesting!" Marco responded with an exasperated sigh as he checked his Facebook Wall. "Okay, if nothing else happens I vote we try somewhere else because, no offense Wasp, I'm getting bored out of my mind here!"

"None taken, I was about to suggest the same thing anyway." Wasp responded with a nod before Marco got a text from his sister which he checked.

"Marco, I need your help." Marco whispered as he read the text before Sophia sent him an attachment, he opened it and what he saw made his blood boil, made even worse by the follow up text. "It's the same bullies I told you about." Marco read the text out loud before turning his glider around. "We're heading off to Queens."

"Queens? Why that far?" Wasp asked, and Marco showed her the texts and the pictures. "That's your sister?"

"Yeah, the whole reason I turned up late was because I wanted to accompany her to school because she had been dealing with homophobic bullies." Marco added before shaking his head. "Only reason I'm asking you to accompany me is in case I got too far, need someone to talk me down, you know?"

"Off course lead the way." Wasp responded with a nod before the two heroes flew off.

*ten minutes later*

Marco landed near the school grounds and it didn't take him long to find his sister as the sixteen year old girl was sitting on a bench with her head down whilst some older boys around Marco's age talked amongst themselves, Marco landed in front of her and Sophia looked up revealing the black eye and bruised, bloody lip from the photo she had sent Marco.

"Marco?" Sophia whispered, and Marco nodded. "The assholes are over there." Sophie added as she pointed the boys out. "The guy closest to us is the one who hit me, I think his name's Jordan?"

"Got it, Wasp can you get her to the school nurse?" Marco asked Wasp who nodded before leading his sister away from the crowd, once they were out of earshot Marco's eyes narrowed under his helmet. "Hey Jordan!" Marco called out to the boys and the jock closest to him looked up.

"Hey guys! A Superhero knows my name!" Jordan called out to the other boys as Marco hopped of his glider and walked up to him. "What can I do you for Mental…" Jordan never fished his sentence as Marco delivered a hard punch to his gut knocking the wind right out of him, Marco gave the other boys a warning glance and they ran off without a second thought. "What the hell man?!"

"I'd ask you the same thing, but real men don't hit women." Marco responded as he punched the jock again this time in the face knocking him against a wall. "And I know you just attacked a sixteen year old girl!"

"Yeah? So, what? She's a dyke!" Jordan scoffed, and Marco's eyes narrowed before he pinned Jordan to the wall with several metal objects through his telekinetic powers. "Why do you care so much about a dyke anyway?!"

"Why?" Marco asked as his eyes narrowed before he took off the helmet. "Because she's my sister, that's why!" Marco added, and all color drained from Jordan's face as it dawned on him. "And if you ever attack my sister again I won't be so polite!"

"Yeah, well, maybe your mom should've swallowed her!" Jordan responded, and Marco said nothing, instead instructing the glider to aim for Jordan's head. "Wh…. what are you doing?!"

"Well it's simple, by saying that about my dead mom, you just dug yourself deeper." Marco responded as the glider backed up several feet. "Now this thing won't come at you fast enough to kill you, but it will hurt like hell, so unless you apologize in the next five seconds your getting a major headache." Marco warned him, and Jordan gulped whilst neither boy noticed that Wasp had just returned and had brought Spider-Man with her. "Starting from now."

"Marco don't!" Wasp said as she got in front of the glider. "I understand your anger, but this isn't worth it!"

"She's right Marco." Spider-Man said as he swung down and Marco turned to him. "Do you really want this getting back to Captain America?" Spider-Man added, and Marco paused before putting the helmet on, lowering the glider and releasing Jordan.

"Let me make one thing clear Jordan." Marco added as he turned to the jock. "You just got lucky, if you ever assault my sister or insult my mom again nothing short of the Avengers will save you, am I clear?"

"Crystal!" Jordan gulped in response before he ran off, Marco waited for him to leave before turning to the older heroes.

"I had that situation under control." Marco asserted as he called the glider over. "He would've gotten a concussion at most."

"You were still threatening another high school student, what if that had gotten on TV?" Wasp pointed out and Marco stopped in his tracks as he went to hop on the glider. "This will be mentioned in my report to Cap but given the circumstances I think he'll let it slide."

"I still failed her damn it." Marco responded as he punched the glider in frustration. "She's my sister, as her brother its my job to protect her from assholes like Jordan!" Marco added before letting out a sigh. "How is Sophia?"

"Being seen too by the nurse, the school called your dad, but we'll keep your confrontation with Jordan out of any conversation with him." Wasp responded, and Marco sighed in response. "We'd better head back to the training grounds."

"Agreed." Marco nodded in agreement before hopping on the glider. _"Damn it! I know I'm better than this! Yet I almost made the same mistake Kat made that got her dropped from the program."_ Marco thought as he flew away with Wasp. _"Hopefully this won't have the same outcome."_ Marco thought as they flew away.


	19. Earth, Wind and Fire

It was the day after the confrontation between Marco and Jordan and whilst he waited to hear his fate life went on as normal for the other trainees, Kat included.

"99…...100!" Kat finished her sit-ups in the training room and stood up with a satisfied grin on her face, in front of her was Jessica who had been helping her with the sit-ups and watching from the side was Ehsan who was working out on the weights. "I think that's your record beat!" Kat added as she wiped the sweat from her brow and Jessica scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on! Anyone can do a hundred sit-ups." Jessica said as she stood up with a grin on her face. "Beat my speed in the wind tunnel and then we'll talk!"

"Jess, you know I will!" Kat added as she motioned to her wings. "Without me wings out our flying speed is about equal, with my wings out I leave you in the dust!" Kat added, and Jessica scoffed as she went to add something. "And I beat you in the foot race, lasted longer than you on the treadmills, why can't you just admit that I'm better?"

"Because there's one area you haven't beaten me." Jess added as she motioned to the training ring. "If Cap hadn't called off our training match the other day I would've toasted you the second you left yourself open for an attack!"

"And I thought my fellow male trainees where competitive." Ehsan said with a laugh causing the two women to turn to him. "Not saying that Kat isn't right but isn't this supposed to be bettering ourselves rather than a competition?"

"Says the guy who got in trouble for taking several trainees to a Halal Hot Dog Eating Competition." Jessica scoffed as the door to the training area opened. "And we are bettering ourselves through our friendly rivalry."

"If that's your definition of friendly Jessica, then I hate to see your definition of competitive." A new female voice rang out and the two women looked up seeing an eighteen year old Japanese girl that Kat had seen once or twice around the training grounds but hadn't really interacted with, she had waist length black hair with green streaks and brown eyes and like the other women in the room she was dressed for a workout. "Because I thought it was only men who produced this much testosterone."

"Whatever Yuri." Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes before picking up her gym bag. "My turn on patrol is coming up anyway so I'd better get going." Jessica added before rudely brushing past the Japanese girl and leaving the training room. "Oh, and Kat? Tomorrow, wind tunnels, I want to see you put your money where your mouth is!"

"Your on." Kat responded with a grin before Jessica left the room, Yuri shook her head before Kat turned to her. "I swear, her competitive streak is going to get someone hurt."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Yuri nodded in agreement before walking up to Kat and offering a handshake. "I don't think we've had a chance to introduce ourselves, names Yuriko, everyone either calls me Yuri or my Superhero name Shizukana Arashi." Yuri added before noticing the confused look on Kat's face. "Translated from Japanese: Silent Tempest, basically I've got wind powers."

"And I bet a lot of boys where making "hilarious" blowjob jokes when you started." Kat responded getting a laugh out of Yuri and Ehsan. "Katrina Sheng Lao, most people know me as Kat or Dragon Girl." Kat added as she accepted the handshake whilst being careful not to crush the shorter girl's hand with her Super Strength. "So, how did you get your powers?"

"Same way as you and Marco, I'm a mutant." Yuri responded before walking past Kat and putting her gym bag on the floor. "Though my powers awoke earlier than yours, namely when I was fourteen, my parents tried to keep me hidden but after I accidentally blew one of my teachers out of the room a couple of weeks ago that became impossible."

"Your parents sound overprotective to me." Kat responded, and Yuri shrugged her shoulders.

"Not so much overprotective and more worried about people finding out I was a mutant, though I did inspire my dad to pursue his specialization in medicine," Yuri responded as she started on the weights. "Considering that he's the mutant specialist at Mercy General I'd say he made the right choice."

"Mercy General? Your dad's Dr. Koboyashi?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow earning a curious look from Yuri. "When my wings started to come out I was refereed to him by my family's doctor."

"Oh yeah, dad mentioned that he had treated a female mutant with wings." Yuri nodded in response before sighing. "He didn't say that it was Dragon Girl, that's pretty much the only thing he doesn't discuss at the dinner table when it comes to work."

"Right, right, Doctor Patient confidentiality and all that." Kat responded with a nod before sitting next to Yuri. "So, I'm guessing that Cap came a knocking after that accident at school?"

"Not Cap himself but the same principal applied, unfortunately for me my principal had a major rage boner for mutants and it wasn't long until I was expelled, officially he used the incident with the teacher as his excuse, even greatly exaggerated her injuries to justify it, but my family was planning to pull me out anyway." Yuri added with a shrug as she turned to Kat. "I was miserable at that school and my parents knew it, here, I'm a lot happier."

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to escape anti-mutant bullshit at my school, before my powers awoke I had signed up for the track team like I had at my old school." Kat added before sighing. "After my powers awoke and my face was all over the news thanks to my idea to battle Rhino, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern without a costume the coach dropped me from the team and claimed that the order came from the school board." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "I realized later that he was full of shit but by then he had been killed by Styx when Styx and Stone took the lunch hall hostage and my wings had come out meaning that I couldn't pursue my athletic dreams anymore."

"Yeah, I heard about that on the news, I tried to sneak out and help but my parents caught me as I was sneaking out the window." Yuri responded as she shook her head. "Off course, by the time I would've gotten there, Cap would've saved the day but still, at least you've got your Superhero career now."

"Even if that did lead to you battling the Hulk, gotta say I've heard worse excuses to check out nurses." Ehsan shrugged his shoulders and Kat rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's totally worth having my wings and arm broken, didn't know these things could break until I got that bright idea." Kat responded before the door opened and Marco stepped in. "How did it go?"

"I'm suspended for a week, meaning I had to give back my Mental Boy costume and glider and am barred from the training grounds until next Wednesday." Marco explained with a frown on his face. "Considering that you got dropped from the program under similar circumstances I think I got off lucky, but Cap is now searching for someone else to go out on patrol with you Kat." Marco added, and Kat nodded in response.

"Funny you should say that." Captain America's voice rang out through the four teens earpieces and they put their hands to their earpieces. "Ehsan, Yuri, go get suited up, your going out with Dragon Girl on patrol, Marco, just because your suspended doesn't mean you can't help them, I want you to use your IT skills to help them when needed."

"So, I'm basically reduced to being Mission Support?" Marco sighed in response as he turned to leave. "You realize that my PC back home is a gaming PC right? What's to stop me from just killing time on Civ V for a few hours?"

"Only a few? Amateur!" Yuri scoffed earning a playful glare from Marco.

"We have your gaming PC." Cap responded, and Marco paled. "It' been replaced by a standard work issue laptop that's connected to your parent's Wi-Fi, also has internet blocks to stop you from downloading Steam or going onto porn sites."

"But…. but that was a Christmas present!" Marco protested as the other teens struggled not to laugh. "It cost my dad a craptop of money."

"Don't worry, you'll get it back at the end of the suspension." Iron Man chimed in and Marco sighed as Yuri took a sip from a water bottle. "By the way, what is Sakura Dungeon with the uncensored patch installed doing in your Steam Library?" Iron Man added, and all color drained from Marco's face whilst Yuri nearly spat out her drink.

"Oh, look at the time! I had better get going!" Marco responded before he bolted for the door. "Kat kick some ass on my behalf! Maybe show the newbies how it's done!"

"Sakura Dungeon?" Kat wondered out loud once Marco left and Yuri turned to her.

"As his girlfriend, you probably don't want to know." Yuri responded before finishing her drink and leaving the room with Ehsan "Meet us at the exit?"

"Sure, see you on the other side." Kat called out to them as the left. _"Well, so much for today being quiet."_ Kat thought as she walked towards the exit. _"Then again, it might be as uneventful as the patrol me and Marco went out on with Jessica, with any luck."_ Kat thought before leaving the training room.

*later*

The three heroes traveled around New York for a while before Marco sent Kat a text to confirm that he was back home and at the laptop provided by SHIELD, they landed on a rooftop and Kat put a hand to her earpiece.

"Dragon Girl to mission control, do you copy?" Kat asked once she saw that Ehsan had hopped off his glider and she heard an audible groan from Marco's side. "I hope that wasn't from a porn site."

"Tried that, Cap wasn't kidding." Marco responded with another groan and Kat shook her head. "If only that wasn't my only issue, this laptop is horrible!"

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad?" Kat tried to assure her boyfriend who sighed in response.

"Not that bad?! Kat, this thing's operating system is Windows Vista." Marco responded with a tone of voice that made it sound like he was ready to jump out the window. "WINDOWS VISTA! That operating system wasn't good when it first came out! And it still uses Internet Explorer!"

"I don't get it." Yuri chimed in as she put a hand to her earpiece. "Installing a new operating system isn't that hard and you can download Chrome."

"I'm a Firefox user, thank you very much!" Marco responded with an annoyed sigh and Yuri shook her head. "And believe me, I would but it came with a note that reads "change anything about this laptop and you're off the internship", it has Cap's handwriting and everything!"

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think that they are trolling you at this point." Yuri responded before the other two heroes chimed in.

"Care to translate the last few seconds of that conversation for people who aren't tech savvy?" Kat asked, and Marco cleared his throat.

"Basically, I'm stuck using an outdated operating system and a discontinued browser." Marco responded with an annoyed sigh. "And if it was Windows XP, Id be fine but no! This thing uses Windows Vista!"

"Which is basically the worst operating system that Microsoft ever put out." Yuri added before sighing. "At least tell me that thing has a decent Anti-Virus installed?"

"Norton Anti-Virus." Marco responded causing Yuri to gasp in horror. "Yeah, I know, as soon as I get my gaming PC back I'm having a long, hard discussion with Cap about how outdated pretty much everything is on this work issued laptop!"

"Are you following what they are saying?" Kat asked as she turned to Ehsan who shrugged.

"Like you, I was more interested in athletics than anything computer related." Ehsan responded, and Kat nodded.

"I swear, if my future at the internship wasn't hanging in the balance I'd take this to the nearest junk heap and break into the training grounds to get my gaming PC back." Marco added, and Yuri nodded in understanding.

"Well, if you decide to go through with that, give me a call, no one should have to suffer through that." Yuri responded before Marco hung up. "So, are we ready to go or what?" Yuri asked as she looked down at her emerald green Superhero costume which left her midriff exposed whilst her face was covered in a mask that was styled after the Japanese god of wind Fujin and her long hair was kept in a low ponytail. "Because I'm ready when you guys are."

"If you guys are ready then I say we get moving." Kat responded before turning to Ehsan. "Ehsan, I know Marco's glider can't keep up with me when I have my wings out but I don't know about yours."

"My glider won't have that much trouble keeping up with you, with or without the wings." Ehsan responded as he patted the glider, his costume was dark brown in color as was his glider and the helmet he was hiding his face under.

"Okay, that's another thing I'll be talking to Cap about once I'm off suspension." Marco chimed in as Ehsan looked at his glider. "Because clearly, my glider needs upgrading!"

"I think they were working on it whilst were leaving actually, probably used your suspension as an excuse." Ehsan responded before chuckling. "If anything, you and Kat should be worried about keeping up with us youngsters."

"We're the same age!" Kat protested but before either of her companions could say anything they heard police sirens and Kat looked out to the road. "Well, that's something you don't see every day, a car chase with three cars."

"And here I thought you were about to say something outlandish." Ehsan responded as he cracked his fingers. "So, how quickly do you usually finish off crooks with Marco?"

"Doesn't usually take long for Marco to finish with me, hell if anything I'm usually left wanting more." Kat responded, and the other two heroes shared a look. "But that depends if there's more than one guy involved, then I really take a pounding whilst Marco watches…" Kat trailed off as she realized what she had just said and blushed like a madwoman whilst Ehsan and Yuri laughed. "Can't get any worse right?"

"Nope, older heroes picked that up as well." Marco chimed in and whilst she couldn't see her boyfriend Kat knew that he was blushing just as furiously. "Not helped by the fact that I had to clarify that we haven't had sex yet!"

"Did you have to say that on an open channel?!" Kat protested as she ran a hand down her face. "Just tell us where those cars are heading before I die of embarrassment?"

"They're heading towards the Upper East Side, if you hurry you, Yuri and Ehsan will make up for lost time." Marco responded, and Kat turned to the other heroes.

"If you guys are done, we have crooks to beat up!" Kat said as they finished laughing. "Marco said that they are heading towards the Upper East Side so let's move it!"

"Sure." Yuri nodded before she took off alongside Kat and Ehsan trailed behind them on his glider. "Just tell Marco that that's nothing to be ashamed off."

"Say that again and you'll regret it." Kat warned her, and Yuri quickly shut up.

*a few minutes later*

"Pull over now!" Jenny's voice rang out as she called out to the car that she and Malcolm had been chasing however the thugs responded by opening fire on their police car which Malcolm swerved to avoid. "If we don't get those cars pulled over quickly someone's going to get hurt! Did every hero in the city take a day off or something?"

"Shockwave was spotted in Chinatown, unfortunately she can't be with us right now." Malcom responded as he gave chase to the crooks. "Hopefully Kat is out on patrol right now because we could use her help!"

"We'll lose those pigs in no time!" The thug behind the wheel of the car that Jenny and Malcolm where chasing said as he sped down the street. "Hey AJ, see if you can get a few more shots off!"

"You got it Tony!" The thug in the passenger side door responded as he rolled down the window and leaned out, however as he took aim at Jenny's head a strong gust of wind blew the gun right out of his hands. "Err, Tony."

"What?" Tony asked as he turned to AJ.

"The gun's gone." AJ responded, and Tony turned to him.

"What do you mean "the gun's gone"?" Tony asked as Yuri floated right in front of the car. "How do you drop a gun in a car chase?!" Tony asked as Yuri made a fist and it didn't take long for the thugs to realize that they weren't moving. "What the hell?!"

"Okay, so that's four orders of crooks, served very stupid." Yuri quipped as she had the wind hand that was holding up the car tilt it up causing the villains to spill out to the street below. "And I think that comes with a side order of jail time."

"What's with the restaurant quips?" Marco asked through the earpiece and Yuri grinned under her mask.

"I was a server in a Japanese restaurant before I was recruited." Yuri responded as Jenny and Malcolm arrested the crooks. "Still the best Asian cuisine around."

"Err, no." Kat's voice rang out and Yuri looked up seeing that she had pretty much brute forced her way through the car containing her crooks. "Chinese cuisine is where it's at!"

"I'm not saying Chinese cuisine is bad, what I an saying that Japanese Cuisine blows it out of the building." Yuri responded as Kat handed over the crooks to the police officers. "Maybe even the city!"

"Hey at least the Chinese actually cook their food!" Kat asserted as she watched the crooks get apprehended. "All the Japanese dishes I've seen leave it raw!"

"If your talking about Shushi, Tataki, Sashimi and other raw stuff, that only makes up a small part of my culture's cuisine." Yuri responded as she noticed that Ehsan had stopped his car by summoning a giant rock in front of it. "Trust me, you'll love it, I'll take you to the place I used to work at some time!"

"And I'm sure I will, I'm also sure that my mom will kill me if she knew I tried a different Asian cuisine." Kat responded getting a chuckle out of Yuri. "She owns and runs that new Chinese restaurant over in Chinatown."

"Oh yeah, I've seen the place on my commute." Yuri responded with a nod. "Still say that Japanese cuisine is the best."

"Ladies have you even tried Middle Eastern Cuisine?" Ehsan chimed in and the two women turned to him. "Best cuisine in the world, hands down!"

" _I just know that we're going to be arguing about this all day!"_ Kat thought as she ran a hand down her face. _"May as well dig ourselves deeper."_ Kat thought before switching channels. "Anything to add Marco?"

"I'm not touching this conversation with a ten foot pole!" Marco responded and whilst the heroes couldn't see him they could tell he was putting his hands up defensively. "Besides, the only Italian dish I like is pizza, and that's only because it's the only one I feel most comfortable cooking!"

"Wait, you're an Italian who doesn't like pasta?!" Yuri chimed in and Marco groaned. "Is that why your family moved from Italy?"

"My family moved to the US when I was a baby, dad never explained why beyond "wanting a fresh start"!" Marco responded, and Yuri nodded in understanding. "And on that note, Jess has been trying to contact you guys."

"Put her through." Kat responded before waiting for the new voice to come through.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, your conversation about foreign cuisine is interesting and all but I have something for more interesting here at the docks near the financial center." Jess's voice rang out and the three heroes listened. "Saw a suspicious truck on the road out of Chinatown and followed it on a hunch, turns out I was right, weapons smugglers."

"Oh, thank god! Busting up bank robberies was getting boring!" Kat responded before shaking her head. "And if you had told me that I'd be saying that two years ago, I would've called you mad! Anyway, any sign that a Supervillain's running the operation, or will this be easy?"

"That's the fun part." Jess responded with a laugh. "A giant demonic biker is in charge, I think the media's called him Hellraiser?" Jess added, and Kat frowned.

"Jess, Cap has designated him as an Avengers level threat." Kat pointed out and she could tell from her companion's body language that they shared her concern. "Are you sure you want us to face him?"

"Already asked Cap, and he's busy." Jess responded as she shook her head. "Same goes for the other old folks, besides, we're the next generation of Avengers, right?"

"Yeah, I guess?" Kat responded before nodding to the other heroes. "Send me a pic of the dock their using alongside the dock number and we'll meet you there."

"Want me to include some nudes?" Jess asked jokingly and Kat face-palmed.

"Jess, I don't care about the fact that your costume may as well be a bikini top and jean shorts but if you do that, I'll notify the police of a flasher near the docks." Kat responded as she glanced towards Jenny. "And the cops from the car chase we just stopped are still here, so it won't be that hard."

"I, on the other hand, won't do such a thing," Marco chimed in and Kat groaned.

"Marco, you just said that with your girlfriend on the same call." Kat responded, and Marco gulped. "Say that again and I'll take your new car and your dad's car to the scrapyard!"

"Shutting up!" Marco responded before hanging up.

"Jess, I'll see you there." Kat added before hanging up, a few seconds later she got the text and breathed a sigh of relief. "She didn't send any nudes, let's go!"

"I'm not even going to comment on the weirdness of that sentence." Yuri deadpanned as the three heroes flew off.

*earlier at the docks*

Jess watched from an adjacent rooftop as the thugs unloaded weapons into a warehouse with her arms crossed, the thugs hadn't spotted her yet and she wasn't complaining about that, mostly because of who she had gotten the info from.

"So, seems your info has been accurate." Jess said as she turned to the thug who had been tied up behind her, he was alive, but his skin was smoking from all the times she had electrocuted him, she knelt next to him and produced some electricity from her hand. "Anything else I should know before I fly in and kick your buddies' asses?"

"Suck my cock!" The thug spat at her and Jessica frowned before reaching down and putting the hand with the electricity next to his crotch. "What are you doing?!"

"You know what's the one thing I've never experienced? A guy having his crotch fried by electricity." Jess responded as her eyes narrowed. "You have five seconds to reconsider your answer before the whole city hears you hit the high notes!" Jess added, and the thug gulped as he felt the electricity lick against his balls.

"The operation is being run by Hellraiser!" The thug responded, and Jess grinned before removing her hand. "He started working for Julius Drexo recently, he put him in charge of this operation."

" _Hmmm, an Avengers Level Threat."_ Jess thought as she turned to the warehouse. _"Yet he works for a mob boss? A guess even the most powerful Supervillains need to pay the bills, still I might need some help here and I know that Kat, Yuri and Ehsan went out on patrol shortly after I did."_ Jess decided before putting a hand to her earpiece. "Marco, you home yet?"

"Just got home and I'm shocked by the poor quality of the laptop they provided me with." Marco responded, and Jessica nodded. "Why?"

"I'm going to need your girlfriend's help on something and I know she's out on patrol with Yuri and Ehsan." Jess responded as she glanced towards the building. "Can you put me through to them?"

"You'll have to bear with me, they are having an argument over their native cuisines." Marco explained, and Jess laughed. "I wish I was kidding! I'd join in but I'm not a fan of Italian cuisine."

"Remind me not to bring that up if we ever get sent to Italy." Jess responded with a laugh before shaking her head. "Just put me through to them ASAP."

"Sure." Marco responded and soon enough the Chinese girl's voice rang out and Jess laid out the situation for her, once she knew that they were on their way and she texted them the address she hung up and turned to the thug.

"So, what do I do with you?" Jess asked as she walked around the thug. "I mean, I could let you go but then you'd run to the thugs in the warehouse and before I know it, I'm fighting Hellraiser and an army of thugs!"

"You think you scare me? You're just a goth slut masquerading as a Superhero, I work for Hellraiser damn it!" The thug responded, and Jess's eyes narrowed. "Besides, Hellraiser won't kill you right away, if anything he'll keep you around to "entertain" the boys and I'll take great pleasure in having my way with you bitch!"

"I was someone's play thing once, after I escaped from him I promised to never be a victim again." Jess responded as she produced electricity from both hands. "In other words, wrong answer!" Jessica added before throwing the electricity at the thug, the thug screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through his body, but Jessica didn't let up eventually leaving the thug as nothing but a charred, twitching corpse. "Now I just have to wait for…"

"Jess!" Jessica looked up and saw the shocked faces of Yuri, Kat and Ehsan and it was Kat that spoke up. "What the hell did you just do?!"

"Oh, that?" Jessica asked as she spat on the corpse. "He made a rape joke and I explained my history to you yesterday." Jessica added as she folded her arms. "So, I deep fried him, and you know what? I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"

"That's not how a hero behaves." Yuri responded as the three heroes landed on the rooftop. "I have no doubt that his joke was distasteful but that doesn't give you the right to play judge, jury and executioner with him! Give me one reason why we shouldn't report this to Captain America."

"Because Kat here did practically the same thing with another thug employed by Drexo." Jessica responded as she turned to Kat. "So, unless she's a massive hypocrite I don't see the difference!"

"There's a huge difference between what I did and what you just did." Kat asserted as she glared at Jess. "For one thing, the guy I tortured was still walking by the time I was done with him, this guy smells like he's just been BBQed at to high a temp, and for that matter, I've come to realize that what I did was a terrible mistake and I have no intention of repeating it, you on the other hand are bragging about doing it like it was just another part of our dumb rivalry!"

"And do you really think the older heroes will see the difference?" Jessica asked, and Kat paused. "Go ahead, report this to Flag Boy, see how far you get before they bring up the reason you got the boot in the first place!"

"Look, we can sit here and argue all day, or we can bust up this operation." Ehsan chimed in and the two girls turned to him. "Your choice." Ehsan added and without another word the two girls flew towards the warehouse and where soon joined by Ehsan and Yuri, however Kat trailed behind as she put a hand to her earpiece and switched to a closed channel.

"Marco, did you record the conversation with Jess like I asked?" Kat asked in a whispered tone as she flew behind the others.

"Just as you asked, she may have hung up on the open channel but not on the closed one." Marco responded before frowning. "I'm not sure if the audio will be enough, they needed your dad's word and my testimony before they kicked you off and because of how badly you took the news they've raised the standards for what constitutes expulsion, don't get me wrong, this is bad but I'm not sure if it's enough."

"If we do find something worse to pin her with, we'll present both items to Cap." Kat responded before shaking her head. "At the very least, she should get in trouble for calling him Flag Boy."

"True but Cap's thick skinned, he won't let that phase him." Marco agreed before Kat followed the others into the warehouse.

*a few minutes later*

Inside the warehouse thugs were unloading weapons crates from trucks under the watchful and terrifying eye of Hellraiser as the massive supervillain watched from atop his motorbike.

"Hurry up! It's only a matter of time before some heroes catch wind of this operation!" Hellraiser shouted to the thugs as they worked together to get the weapons off the trucks. "We have buyers coming in as well and if Drexo doesn't see their money, I'll have your heads!"

"We're working as fast as we can man." One of the thugs gulped as Hellraiser walked up to him. "But this would be a lot easier if Garry was here."

"Hey that's right!" Hellraiser realized as he turned to the other thugs. "Has anyone seen Garry? If he's slacking off, the port authority will be picking up his remains by noon tomorrow!"

"He was with us on the shipment from Midtown." Another thug responded as Hellraiser turned to him. "He said that he needed a smoke before he got started but that was ten minutes ago, I don't think he'd take this long to have a smoke."

"Get the guns loaded, we'll search for that lazy bastard once we're done! After that, well, the cigarette won't be the only thing that's smoking! And another thing, because Garry is absent the rest of you are going to have to work extra hard to make sure these weapons shipments get to their buyers on time!" Hellraiser added before turning his arm into a rocket launcher and pointing it at the ceiling. "Do I make myself clear, either you work hard, or I'll bring the ceiling down on top of you!"

"Now see, that's not what being a good boss is about!" Yuri's voice rang out as she used her wind powers to send several crates flying towards Hellraiser, the crates smashed into him, but the villain was barely phased. "It's about positive reinforcement, not threatening your employees' lives."

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life." Hellraiser snarled as he pointed his arm/rocket launcher at Yuri. "And your last!"

"That's no way to treat a pretty lady Hellraiser!" Jessica responded as she threw electricity at Hellraiser causing him to grunt in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. "Then again, I think we should give him a lesson in gun control, what do you guys think?"

"I think the Punisher needs that lesson more!" Ehsan responded as he summoned up the biggest chunk of Earth he could before launching it at Hellraiser, this time the attack nearly knocked him off his feet but despite his efforts Hellraiser remained standing. "What do you think Dragon Girl?"

"I think this guy needs to be sent to prison!" Kat said as she flew into the warehouse and launched into her spin dash attack hitting Hellraiser square in the chest and sending the villain flying into a wall where he slumped down into a seated position. _"Okay, now to round up his flunkies and…..."_

Kat's train of thought was interrupted when Hellraiser looked up at the four heroes with a sadistic grin on his face, he wiped at his chin and looked down confirming that at least one attack had drawn blood on him before standing up and staring down the terrified heroes. "Finally, a real challenge from you so called heroes!"

"Guys, I suggest getting the hell out of there." Marco chimed in as it dawned on him. "Seriously, the only other guy who's managed to shrug off the Spin Dash is THE HULK! This isn't going to end well for you!"

" _Marco's right, we've bitten off more than we can chew."_ Kat thought before responding. "How likely is it that the Avengers can get down here before we get smashed into the ground?"

"Let me put it this way Kat, they left to deal with some business in Wakanda just before you arrived at the Warehouse." Marco responded, and Kat gulped in response. "Yeah, this is bad! The only one at the Training Grounds is Hawkeye and I doubt he'll be of much help!"

" _And I'm not about to deny that, I saw the aftermath of Hawkeye and Spider-Man's fight against this guy whilst I was in the hospital."_ Kat thought before glancing at the others. "Looks like we're on our own!"

"Aww, no heroes to save you?" Hellraiser asked mockingly before turning to the thugs. "Get the rest of the weapons loaded ASAP, this won't take long!"

"You got it boss!" The thug closest to him responded before he started coordinating the thugs so that they could get the weapons loaded faster.

"Oh no, you don't!" Yuri responded before she flew towards the thugs but before she could get close Hellraiser snapped his fingers causing the bike to speed towards Yuri, she spotted the bike too late as it rammed into her side with enough force to send her flying before colliding with the wall.

"One down, one to go!" Hellraiser mocked the remaining heroes once it was clear that Yuri was down for the count. "Who's next!?"

"Let's see how you like two rocks!" Ehsan responded before summoning up two large rocks and throwing them at Hellraiser, however whilst the first one hit Hellraiser the massive Supervillain shattered the second with a single punch before charging at Ehsan and grabbing him in a chokehold.

"Let him go!" Kat shouted before delivering a kick to Hellraiser's face stunning him enough to release the hold on Ehsan as the Syrian dropped to his hands and knees to catch his breath, once Hellraiser recovered from the shock he grinned at Kat.

"You might just be the first real challenge I've had!" Hellraiser responded before Jessica delivered an electricity powered punch to his face stunning him again, Kat used the opportunity to fly up to Hellraiser and breathe fire directly into his face which lasted for a few seconds before Hellraiser grabbed her by the throat. "That tickled!"

" _Can't risk electrocuting him as that would get Kat as well."_ Jessica thought before flying up to Hellraiser only for the villain to grab her by the throat as well.

"I could snap your necks right now." Hellraiser laughed as the two women struggled to free themselves from his grasp whilst Yuri and Ehsan watched on helplessly.

"Boss, cargos loaded up, let's get out of here!" The thug shouted at Hellraiser who frowned before slamming Kat and Jess to the ground and getting back on his bike.

"Challenge me again and you won't be so lucky." Hellraiser warned the four heroes as he got ready to speed off knowing that they were in no shape to follow. "Next time, I won't be so merciful!" Hellraiser added before the trucks took off with Hellraiser in pursuit, it took them a few minutes to recover and once they were on their feet they removed their masks and shared the same, horrified look.

"How are we supposed to compete against someone like that?!" Yuri asked as Jessica and Kat took a moment to catch their breaths. "We launched our best attacks at him and it did nothing!"

"No one's unbeatable, he's gotta have a weakness." Jess responded as she glanced towards the road that Hellraiser and the others had disappeared down. "Give me a week or two and maybe, just maybe, I'll have his figured out!"

"I knew challenging an Avengers level threat at our level was a bad idea." Ehsan admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "Any ideas for explaining this to Cap?"

"It's getting late, I say we call it a night and sleep on it." Kat responded, and the other heroes nodded before putting their masks back on. "We'll explain it to Cap in the morning, assmuming he's back from Wakanda by then." Kat added before putting her mask on and the four heroes flew off. _"I'm not even sure if I can come up with an explanation in that time."_


	20. Shock Your World

As the four heroes flew away from the site of the ill-fated battle with Hellraiser Yuri had remembered that they been told to not leave their street clothes at the training center after Kat had done that earlier that week so they had to stop by the training grounds on the way home to get their clothes, unfortunately for them word had reached Hawkeye, Ant-Man and Wasp about the ill-fated battle and they had been called into Cap's office which Hawkeye was borrowing whilst Cap was overseas.

"You know Kat, I honestly thought that you were done making dumb decisions after the Hulk fight." Hawkeye commented as he turned to the four heroes who were currently in their day clothes. "And not even three days after you are discharged from hospital, you go and battle an Avengers level villain with the help of Earthshaker, Silent Tempest and Shockwave."

"It's my fault." Jess said almost immediately, and the older heroes turned to her. "During my patrol I noticed a suspicious van going through Chinatown so on a hunch, I followed it, that van lead me to a weapon smuggling ring lead by Hellraiser and I figured I'd have a better chance at taking him down with some back-up, we realized to late just how durable that bastard is."

"We read the reports, it was bad enough that Drexo's thugs got away with the weapons meaning that there are now more weapons on the street just waiting to be used in a bank robbery or worse." Ant-Man chimed in as he folded his arms. "But he could've killed you and Kat! Kat, you just lost your dad, do you want your mother to go through the pain of losing her daughter as well?!"

"I admit, it was dumb of me to even agree to attack him." Kat admitted before shaking her head. "But for what its worth, I did get some combat data during the fight, I tried breathing fire on him, but he basically shrugged it off and my attacks where strong enough to draw blood on him."

"And then there's the fact that he can call his bike to his side, which I learned the hard way after I got rammed by it." Yuri added as she felt her aching ribs. "As you said, we're lucky to be alive but next time."

"Next time?!" Wasp interrupted the Japanese girl and she turned to her. "There won't be a next time! Next time you run into him, call us, we'll handle it!"

"Call you? No offense but Hawkeye wasn't exactly great in combat against him either and I don't see how shrinking down will help against a villain as powerful as he is." Ehsan responded as he folded his arms and Hawkeye went to respond but paused.

"You have a point, I'll give you that much Ehsan." Hawkeye admitted before turning to Wasp. "But I think what she meant was call the Avengers."

"The Avengers who just happened to be in Wakanda when we decided to fight against him." Jess responded as she folded her arms. "We didn't have much choice."

"There's always a choice Jess, you just happened to pick the wrong one." Hawkeye responded before sighing. "There is one other thing, the police called me whilst you were getting changed, they found the body of a thug on the rooftop, he had been electrocuted to death and was found with his hands tied behind his back." Hawkeye added, and Kat glanced up at Jess who made a "zip it"" motion with her hand. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"No, we didn't even see the body." Jess responded, and Kat frowned in response. "Can we go?"

"Everyone except Kat." Hawkeye responded, and the three heroes nodded before leaving the room, once the door closed Kat let out a deep breath. "So, how's the eulogy writing going?"

"It's going." Kat responded as she fiddled with her hair. "Finally picked out a poem to read out and Marco suggested a song to be played at the funeral, "Watching Over Me" by Iced Earth, my mom's not exactly a big metal fan but she loved it and agreed that it was perfect." Kat added before letting out a sad sigh. "This is going to be the longest Saturday of my life."

"It never gets easier kid, you'll feel better once it's over and done with." Ant-Man nodded sympathetically, and Kat nodded. "Just remember, we're here if you need an ear and if Marco's not around."

"Thanks." Kat responded before taking a deep breath. "You didn't ask me to stay behind just because of the funeral, did you?"

"No, we didn't." Wasp responded as she walked up to Kat. "Jess wasn't telling the truth, was she?"

"That obvious huh?" Kat asked, and the three heroes nodded. "I could explain, or I can play you the recording I had Marco take on a hunch that he sent me on the way to the training center." Kat added before playing the recording in full, it ended with the thug being electrocuted by Jess and the three older heroes were clearly disturbed by it. "Jess tried to guilt trip me into not saying anything by pointing out the reason I got the boot originally."

"Only this is worse because at least your guy left on his own two feet and your dad stepped in before it could escalate." Hawkeye responded, and Kat nodded. "Look, Cap is the only one with the authority to kick out trainees and he won't be back from Wakanda until tomorrow evening at least, don't tell anyone about the recording until he and the rest of the Avengers return and if you can get her to say anything about the jailbreak, we'd appreciate it."

"I'll see what I can do, can I go?" Kat asked, and Hawkeye nodded before she stood up. "Good, I've got the rest of the eulogy to write and I need to have it ready by Friday night, see you tomorrow." Kat added before leaving the room with her phone.

*the next day*

It was the middle of the afternoon and Kat was at her home typing away at her laptop, more specifically she had brought the laptop down into the kitchen so that she could work on the eulogy.

"Dad, even at my worst times, you were there for me….no, that's way to cheesy!" Kat groaned as she erased a line from the eulogy. "Ugh, why is this so hard?! I can't even get past the opening line!" Kat yelled out in frustration before glancing at the poem which she had written down. _"Should I just skip the speech and go straight into the poem? Maybe say a few words after the poem?"_ Kat thought as she read through the poem, however a quick readthrough of it made her scrap the idea. _"That won't work, the opening line of the poem doesn't sound related to my dad's death in any way!"_

"Knock, knock!" Marco's voice rang out and Kat looked up seeing Marco in the doorway. "Hawkeye was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet and asked me to check on you."

"Sorry, I wanted to finish the eulogy before I left for the training grounds, figured it would only take me a few minutes." Kat sighed as Marco sat down next to her. "Those few minutes quickly turned into a few hours, I almost missed breakfast because I was so focused on this thing."

"It never is easy writing those things." Marco nodded in agreement before glancing around. "Have you tried asking your mom for help?"

"She's busy doing prep work for dinner service, otherwise I would've asked her already." Kat responded as she shook her head. "Besides, I know speeches have never been my strong point, but I feel like it would be better if I just wrote it on my own, dad was one of my major supporters growing up no matter what I did, athletics, superhero stuff, you name it, it just feels like it needs to come from the heart, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, and that might be why your struggling so much." Marco responded, and Kat gave him a confused look. "What I'm saying is, maybe your overthinking it?"

"Maybe but I don't want to half-ass it either." Kat sighed as she started playing with her hair. "Any news on when Cap's back from Wakanda?"

"Nothing's changed since yesterday, he and the rest of the Avengers won't be back until the early evening." Marco shrugged before glancing up at the fridge. "You've got any soft drinks?"

"Bottom shelf of the fridge, mostly Chinese stuff but there should be plenty as I helped mom do her shopping yesterday." Kat responded with a shrug before Marco helped himself to a can of coke, the Chinese girl let out a sigh as she ran both hands through her hair. "You know what the worst thing is about this eulogy? I've got family flying in from China for the funeral, they haven't seen me in person since I was four months old and now I've got to make this big speech about how big an influence dad was on my life."

"I'm going to assume that most of them speak English as a second language at best?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded.

"Yeah, mom went and hired a translator for the funeral just for them." Kat nodded in response before sighing. "You know what? Maybe I need to clear my head a bit, you know if anyone's out on patrol right now?"

"Shockwave was sighted near Time's Square, it's meant to be a solo patrol but I'm sure Hawkeye won't mind you joining her." Marco responded before Kat unplugged her laptop and started taking it upstairs with her. "You think your going to get a confession out of her?"

"If I do, I'd be surprised but be ready to record, just in case." Kat responded before she finished climbing up the stairs. "And if she does, I'll be pissed because if she did cause the jailbreak then her actions led to dad's death."

"Can't really say I blame you there." Marco nodded in agreement before he went to leave. "I'll let Lin know that your going out on patrol on my way out so don't worry about it and yes, she knows I'm here, she let me in."

"Thanks Marco." Kat nodded in response before heading into her room.

*later*

About twenty minutes after giving up on writing the eulogy for now Kat was flying over New York City in her Dragon Girl costume keeping an eye out for any trouble.

"Marco, you home yet?" Kat asked as she placed a finger to her earpiece and Marco's groan confirmed it. "I'd say your laptop can't be that bad, but I still remember your rant about it yesterday, any sightings of Shockwave?"

"She's moved on from Time's Square and was heading towards Midtown." Marco explained, and Kat changed her direction as she had been flying towards the Financial District. "And I think I know why, Discuss and Stiletto are working together on a bank robbery in that area."

"Who?" Kat asked with a look of confusion on her face.

"Two brothers who happen to be among the many costumed mercenaries running about." Marco responded with a shrug as he checked the info. "From what I can tell, they've been laying low out of fear that they'll end up on the Scourge's hitlist but with most of the known Scourge operatives dead and Target going missing since he was busted out of NYPD following the failed hit on you I guess they felt safe enough to come out of hiding."

"Well, I'll give them credit for being smarter than the average costumed mercenary since the Scourge organization came back last month." Kat commented before shaking her head. "Jesus Christ, it's been a month since we got our powers already?"

"If your about to say that it doesn't feel like that much time has passed, the month did start yesterday." Marco responded, and Kat shrugged as she neared mid-town. "But yeah, Jess knows you're coming, I cleared you joining her on patrol with Hawkeye and he called her to let her know you're coming."

"And here I was hoping to surprise her." Kat joked before she spotted the bank in question. "Can you get Jess on the line?"

"Sure." Marco responded before patching her through.

"Seriously Marco, I told you I was busy." Jess's annoyed voice rang out and Kat grinned in response as she sat down atop a rooftop across from the bank. "Call me back after I'm done with these idiots."

"Nice to hear from you to Jess." Kat responded, and Jess quickly backtracked.

"Oh hey, Kat, great timing!" Jess responded before clearing her throat. "Here's the deal, Stiletto and Discus took bank employees hostage after I dealt with their goons, usual deal, they're threatening to kill the hostages if I get any closer, but you'd be a great distraction."

"Noted." Kat nodded before she started to fly. "Which one is closest to the front entrance?"

"Discuss, and before you ask, if any of the hostages have reached for a shotgun by now, I think I would've noticed." Jess added, and Kat nodded.

"Keep their eyes on you and not on the door, I'm coming in." Kat responded before flying towards the bank entrance.

*inside the bank*

" _Well, that would be easy enough if I could get away with flashing my tits at them!"_ Jess thought as she hung up on Kat and turned her attention to the two villains. _"But I don't want to explain to Cap how I got arrested for indecent exposure when he gets back from Wakanda."_ Jess thought before folding her arms. "Do you guys really think the police will let you out of here after the stunt you just pulled?"

"Shut it Shockwave!" Discuss responded as he and Stiletto kept their weapons trained on her. "We just wanted to skip town before the Scourge got to us, it's your fault that things escalated so quickly!"

"And if you want these hostages to leave here alive, you'll not move an inch!" Stiletto responded as Jess noticed Kat flying in. "Just let us leave with the money and no one gets hurt!"

"You know guys, there are easier ways to make money!" Kat's voice rang out and Discuss looked up just in time to see Kat's boot coming towards his face and before he could react the kick sent him flying across the bank knocking him out, Kat nodded to Jess as Stiletto pointed his weapons at her. "Less painful ways too!"

"Dragon Girl and Shockwave? What is this? Bring your daughter to the bank robbery day?!" Stiletto asked making Kat uncomfortable in the process, fortunately for her Jess sent Stiletto flying with a single punch knocking him out as well.

"I don't remember you guys bringing your daughters so no." Jess responded before turning to Kat as she approached her. "Great timing, and points for style as well!"

"Thanks." Kat responded with a grin as the police started letting out the bank customers and employees, once Kat spotted Jenny her grin widened. "Good, I'm friends with that red haired cop, if I talk with her she should get Curly and Moe here into protective custody."

"How do you know that cop?" Jess asked before remembering something. "She worked with your dad?"

"Yeah, she was his partner before his death." Kat responded with a sad sigh as she turned to Jess. "Still have to work on the eulogy for the funeral."

"It'll come to you." Jess assured her and Kat grinned, "You talk with her and I'll meet you on a building down the block from here, got something to show you." Jess added before flying off and Kat blinked a couple of times.

"Okay…" Kat muttered under her breath before flying over to Jenny.

*a few minutes later*

" _Almost feels like I'm putting more Supervillains in Protective Custody than putting them in jail."_ Kat thought as she watched the two villains be escorted to the police car and driven away, shaking her head the Chinese girl started flying towards the direction that Jess had pointed her towards. _"Would've been nice of her to tell me which building she wanted to meet me on, or what she wanted to show me."_ Kat thought before she spotted something, namely her name being spelt out in electricity with an arrow pointing towards a building. _"Subtle."_ Kat thought as she shook her head before flying up to the roof of the building and seeing Jess leaning against a wall with her mask off. "Do I even want to know how much practice that took?" Kat asked as she landed on the roof and took her mask off.

"Spent most of the weekend perfecting it, mostly by writing out my own name." Jess shrugged as she called off the electricity and turned to Kat as she walked up to her. "Forming shapes like that arrow was the tricky part but you're here now and that's what matters."

"Right, right." Kat said as she leaned against the wall next to the taller girl. "Discuss and Stiletto are in protective custody, no Scourge agent has been able to get close enough to a villain in protective custody to carry out a hit, so they should be safe."

"Good to know, won't be as much fun if the Scourges kill every Supervillain, will it?" Jess asked, and Kat nodded in response, before Kat could say anything else Jess stepped in front of her and got in her personal space. "So, now for the thing I wanted to show you."

"What are you…." Kat never finished her sentence as Jess planted a kiss on her lips, Kat was surprised for a few seconds before she pushed her off. "I thought I told you that I wasn't into girls?" Kat asked as she wiped away Jessica's lipstick.

"You only live once right?" Jess asked before going in for another kiss, however this time Kat blocked it with her hand and slipped out of her grasp. "I like it when they play hard to get!"

"Well I don't!" Kat responded as she turned to Jess with an angry look on her face. "Here's a fun little fact for you Jess, when I got my powers I was this close to getting gang raped in an alley by some thugs, the only reason I got out of there with my virginity in tact is because my powers awoke before they could have their way with me and you forcing a kiss on me is not cool!"

"You at least have video of the kiss, right?" Marco's voice rang out through the earpiece and Kat face-palmed.

"Marco, I can't believe I'm about to tell you this but just watch porn!" Kat responded before turning to Jess. "If that kiss was all you wanted to show me then I'm leaving, I'm sure you can handle any other bank robberies or other common crimes on your patrol." Kat added before ordering her wings to extract and putting her mask on.

"What? Don't you want to lose your virginity with me?" Jess taunted her, and Kat turned to her.

"Saving myself for Marco, what do you think?" Kat responded before she went to fly off.

"Okay, fine I'm sorry." Jess apologized, and Kat paused. "I just wanted a bit of fun, besides this Superhero thing has been boring since I caused that blackout at the Raft."

"I'm not sure if I'd call fighting a powerful villain like Hellraiser boring but…" Kat trailed off before she turned around. "What did you say?!"

"Okay, you got me, I lied about when I got my powers, same cause but literally the week before I met Marco." Jess admitted as she put her hands up defensively. "I wanted a chance to test my powers discretely, so I brought a ski mask and flew over to the Raft, I wanted to create some excitement in the city at the same time, so I overloaded the generator and got the hell out of dodge." Jess added not noticing that Kat was marching up to her. "Besides, the only casualties where Termite and Blue Streak and who cares…..." Jess never finished her sentence as she was sent flying with a powerful punch by Kat, she almost fell off the roof but stopped herself with her flying ability. "What the hell?!" Jess demanded as Kat ripped her mask off to show that she was pissed off and crying tears of anger.

"You killed him!" Kat snapped at her and Jess stared at her in confusion. "Remember when I told you about my dad? He gave his life saving a Supervillain from a Scourge agent, a Supervillain who was among the criminals you let go!" Kat added as she flew up to Jessica and got right in her face. "Your reckless, selfish actions led to my dad's death!"

"How…...how was I supposed to know that would happen?!" Jess demanded as she stared at the enraged Chinese girl. "I'm sorry for your dad's death but….."

"Your right, you couldn't have known that that would happen." Kat said in a low voice as she put her mask on. "But if you had just used a little thing known as common fucking sense my dad would still be alive today!" Kat added before turning her back on Jess. "Marco is Cap back yet?"

"They literally just got back." Marco responded, and Kat nodded. "And I've got the recording ready to go."

"Recording?" Jess asked as Kat took flight. "Wait, Kat, where are you going?"

"Back to the training grounds, to report everything you just said to Cap." Kat responded as she turned to her. "You can officially declare our friendship over! And soon, your time in the internship will end as well, you bitch!" Kat added before flying away, Jess growled before flying off after her once she put her mask on.

*twenty minutes later*

Jess chased Kat all over Manhattan but could not keep up with her flying speed to save her life, at one point Jess lost track of Kat but made her way back to the training grounds in one piece.

And as soon as she entered, she knew it was too late as Ehsan and Yuri were glaring at her. "Guys, where's Kat?" Jess asked as she removed her mask.

"She's in a meeting with Cap, about what you just said to her." Yuri responded, and all color drained from Jess's face as it dawned on her. "I thought you were better than this, but I guess not."

"If I where you, I'd make yourself comfy." Ehsan added as he motioned to the seats next to Cap's office. "They've been in there for a while now." Ehsan added, and Jess did so, after a few minutes Kat emerged from the office and glared at Jess before walking off not even giving her a chance to speak.

"Jess, can I speak to you for a moment?" Cap asked as he poked his head out of his office and Jess nodded before walking in, Kat, Yuri and Ehsan watched on from the outside and Kat shook her head as Jess emerged from the office glaring at her once the meeting was over.

"I hope your happy bitch!" Jess spat at her as she glared at Kat. "You just got me booted off the internship!"

"I'm not happy." Kat responded as she glared at her. "I'm ecstatic, you brought this on yourself!" Kat added, and Jess growled before storming out of the training grounds.

*later that night*

A few hours had passed since Jess had been kicked off the internship and from what Kat could tell an arrest warrant had been issued for Jess for the murder of the thug and causing the breakout, however Jess had not yet been found and the home address provided to Cap ended up being a foreclosed building nowhere near Queens which left Kat and the other trainees to wonder what else she had lied about, however that was not the only thing on Kat's mind.

"Finally finished the eulogy." Kat muttered under her breath as she read through it,, it was one single page word document but for Kat that one page document had taken hours to write. _"What time is it anyway?"_ Kat thought before looking at the computer clock. _"1:00am?! Jesus Christ, I started writing the eulogy after I got back from the Training Grounds and mom had just started dinner service when I got back!"_ Kat thought before yawning. _"I'll print it off in the morning, printer's downstairs and I don't want to wake up mom at this hour, still I guess I could squeeze in some internet surfing."_ Kat thought before switching to Firefox and going through her Facebook Wall, this lasted a few minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over it. "Oh, hey dad, I'll go to bed soon." Kat said before turning her attention back to the laptop.

And she subsequently span around once she realized what she had said, her dad stood in front of her bed with his hands behind his back and an unreadable expression on his face. "You did it Katrina, I can pass on."

"Wh…. what?!" Kat asked as she started to process what was happening. "What do you mean "I did it"? All I did was report Jess for causing the blackout that led to the jailbreak and…..." Kat trailed off before it hit her like a ton of bricks. "That's what Dr. Strange meant, I had to report another trainee for something worse than what I did to get kicked out." Kat realized as she glanced up at her dad's ghostly form and tears started to well up as it started to sink in. "So, this is goodbye?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Howard responded with a nod as he walked up to his daughter. "I only regret that I didn't live to see you turn twenty one, go off to college and eventually produce grandchildren with Marco but I will be watching over you and your mother." Howard added before kneeling next to her. "You have done me proud Katrina, if anything, you've supposed my expectations of you and I know you'll make a fine Superhero."

"This isn't fair!" Kat responded as she started to cry openly with her face in her hands, Howard watched as she cried for what felt like an eternity before she finally looked up again. "I…. I don't want you to go!"

"I understand Katrina and I wish I could stay another day." Howard responded as he smiled warmly at his daughter. "But just because this is the last time we'll each other until you pass on doesn't mean I won't be with you, as cheesy as it sounds, I'll always be right here." Howard said before pointing to Kat's chest. "In your heart."

"I…." Kat trailed off before she was pulled into a tight hug by Howard, it lasted a few seconds before her dad broke it off. "I'll look after mom to the best of my abilities, I promise." Kat said as she started to calm down and Howard nodded.

"I know you will Katrina, and I know you'll do well when you give the eulogy tomorrow morning." Howard responded before a divine light began to fill the room. "It appears that our time together is up."

"I've missed you dad, the world's just felt cold since you died." Kat admitted as she shielded her eyes from the light. "Don't suppose I can ask you what the afterlife is like, right?"

"If I had time, I'd tell you." Howard responded with a nod before he started to walk towards the light. "Goodbye Katrina."

"Goodbye dad." Kat responded before the light filled up the room as Howard walked into it.

*in the real world*

Kat's eyes snapped awake and she quickly realized that she had fallen asleep at her desk after writing the eulogy, she raised her head gingerly and glanced at the time.

" _2:00am, man that dream did not feel like an hour long."_ Kat thought as she closed the laptop lid and went to get ready for bed, once she put her nightgown on however Kat paused when she saw the picture of her with her parents after she won her last athletics competition, she felt the tears well up again and sat down on her bed. _"God, I wish someone would just invent a time machine already! That way I can go back in time and prevent my dad's death."_ Kat thought before climbing into her bed as she started crying again, Kat would end up crying herself to sleep that night with her face in the pillow which, by the time she would wake up in the morning would be soaked with tears.

But she didn't go to bed before glancing up at the picture again.

"Goodbye dad." Kat whispered before going to sleep.

*the next morning*

The sun was shining on the Saturday morning but that did little to affect the somber mood at Mount Zion Cemetery in Queens where Howard's funeral was taking place, the attendees were split down the middle, on one side his co-workers in the NYPD, some who Kat recognized and some she didn't and on the other side was Howard's family alongside a translator for those who didn't speak English, and at the front was his wife and daughter.

" _Great, they put my eulogy right after the captain's, no pressure on me."_ Kat thought as she looked at the program for the funeral and then back up at the priest who was getting ready to start the proceedings. _"Couldn't they at least put a hymn or two in between? At least Cap gave me the day off because of the funeral."_

"Friends, family members, we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Howard Lao, a police officer with an impeccable service record and a beloved family man." The priest started the ceremony and Kat could already feel the tears welling up. "In his life, Howard lived and worked in two completely different areas of the world which is represented here today by his family, most of whom have flown in from his home country of China and his friends and colleagues from the NYPD, though this is a time of mourning I am confident that Howard would prefer that you try to remember the happier times."

" _Easy for you to say."_ Kat thought as she wiped away some tears, this was one of the few times that Kat had ever been seen wearing a dress, namely a black on that went down to her thighs and after deliberating on it for most of the morning she had decided to wear her hair in a ponytail. _"I wish there was a way to go back and help dad fend off Shaun, it's not like he didn't know I was Dragon Girl or anything."_

"I would now like to hand it over to Captain Bennet who has a few words of his own." The priest added before stepping aside to let the captain take center stage.

"Howard was one of the finest police officers I've ever known, whilst he worked with me for a short time his work ethic and passion for justice was unlike any I had seen before and I can only hope that we can recruit a young cop with his passion and drive in the near future." Captain Bennet stated as he addressed the crowd before sighing. "But if there was anything stronger than his passion for justice, it was his love for his wife and his eighteen year old daughter, I've met his daughter only a few times, but I can tell that he did an excellent job raising her, his spirit may be gone but he still watches over us, goodbye Howard, you will be missed."

" _I think that's the first time I've ever seen him cry."_ Kat thought as she watched the police captain step away from the podium, Kat took a deep breath before getting ready to stand up.

"As Captain Bennet said, the only thing more important to Howard than justice was his family, with that in mind, I would like to invite his daughter Katrina to take the stage." The priest added before stepping aside and Lin put a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder and she took another deep breath before walking up to the podium, as she approached the podium she overheard some family members whispering about her in Chinese and glanced over at the translator.

"Err, excuse me, what are they saying?" Kat asked sheepishly as the translator turned to her.

"Basically, they are saying "look at how much she's grown", "are those wings" and "her boyfriend is a lucky man"." The translator responded, and Kat nodded before continuing to the podium.

"My dad was a major influence in my life, growing up he drilled it into my head that getting something without earning it was meaningless, something that I have carried with me into adulthood." Kat started the eulogy before she glanced over at the coffin, she took a deep breath before continuing. "He was always tough but fair with me, through my ups and downs but at the end of the day, he cared for me deeply and words can't describe how much I'm going to miss him." Kat added before glancing at the poem. "I wanted to end this eulogy with a poem by Ellen Brenneman called My Journey's Just Begun." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "Don't think of me as gone away, my journey's just begun. Life holds so many facets, this earth is but one." As Kat read the poem out she felt the tears welling up before looking towards the sky. "I miss you dad, thanks for everything." Kat added before stepping off the podium and returning to her seat next to her mom.

"You did well Katrina." Lin assured her, and Kat turned to her mother. "Your father would be proud."

"Thanks mom." Kat sighed as the funeral continued, there was a couple of hymns read out by the priest before the family members and police officers alike said their final goodbyes to Howard and he was laid to rest, the rest of the funeral went on after that until it was time to attend the wake. "Mom, I'll catch up with you." Kat said as she glanced towards the grave and the tombstone that read "Howard Lao, 1968-2018, beloved family man and decorated officer.

"Off course, take all the time you need Katrina." Lin assured her, and Kat grinned in response. "I will be waiting for you by the car." Lin added before walking off with the others and Kat watched her leave before turning her attention back to the grave.

" _There's nothing I wouldn't give for a chance to go and make things right."_ Kat thought as she glanced at the tombstone not noticing the priest approaching her. _"I will do you proud dad, either in my day to day life or as Dragon Girl, that's a promise."_

"That was a touching speech young lady." The priest said, and Kat glanced up at him. "You cared for your father deeply, didn't you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Kat sighed as she glanced at the tombstone again and the priest reached into his jacket for something. "I'd give anything for him to be alive right now?"

"Don't worry Katrina." Target's voice rang out and Katrina span around to see the "priest" pointing a gun at her head. "You will join him soon enough!"


	21. No Time for Mourning

Whilst the funeral was going on two other trainees with the Avengers Internship were flying about going out on patrol, it just so happened that their patrol took them near Mount Zion Cemetery.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't blame Kat for taking the day off." Ehsan commented as he flew alongside Yuri, the two heroes had just busted up a bank robbery but two of the perps had gotten away whilst they were busy dealing with the hostages. "But she would've been a big help back there, with Shockwave being expelled she's the heaviest hitter on the Internship."

"I know but what can you do?" Yuri shrugged as she turned to Ehsan. "I'm sure she would've loved to come out on patrol with us, but it is the day of her dad's funeral and I bet she would've hated not having the chance to say her final goodbyes."

"At least she's getting the chance." Ehsan sighed to himself and Yuri winced once she realized what he had meant.

"Oh right, your dad was killed in an airstrike before he could flee Syria." Yuri grimaced, and Ehsan nodded with a frown on his face. "Sorry if I brought up a sore spot for you there but this is a personal time for her."

"No worries, I've had two years to get over it and what matters is that I can do some good in the world as Earthshaker." Ehsan responded, and Yuri gave him an understanding nod, however before they could say anything else a gunshot rang out from the cemetery. "What the hell? I don't remember Kat saying anything about there being a ten gun salute for her dad!"

"That and that was only one gunshot." Yuri responded before looking down at the crowd of concerned funeral attendees. "I see Kat's mom, several NYPD officers, other Chinese people who I'm guessing are her family..." Yuri trailed off before it hit her. "Kat's not with them."

"But who would open fire in a cemetery off all places?" Ehsan responded before he realized something. "I don't see a priest with them, you don't think?"

"Target was the leader of the Scourge organization; their whole thing is being masters of disguises, hell he infiltrated the hospital she was staying at disguised as a nurse." Yuri pointed out as she folded her arms. "What I'm saying is, it's possible but If you're wrong, I'm not explaining to Cap how we gatecrashed the funeral of Kat's dad to beat the crap out of a priest." Yuri responded before the two heroes flew off.

"Let's start praying to our respective gods that I'm right!" Ehsan responded with a gulp before they flew towards the cemetery.

*meanwhile*

"Seriously Target?!" Kat grunted in annoyance as she ducked behind a tombstone, once Target had made his move Kat wasted no time in melting the gun with her fire breath and had used the time that move had brought her to move to cover whilst Target drew another gun. "You couldn't wait until after my dad's funeral to make your move?"

"I was under the impression that the funeral was over." Target responded simply as he fired more shots at Kat's direction, but the bullets flew over her head. "Besides, justice waits for no one! And how many fathers did you send to an early grave when you saved Chemistro? Or when your father saved the Shocker?!"

"Shocker's back at the Raft and Chemistro is still in protective custody so as of right now? None!" Kat responded as she glared at the assassin. _"Never mind the fact that Shocker's never did anything to be malicious, that guy's always been about money and he only tried to kill me and Marco when we attacked him, Rhino and Jack O'Lantern because we attacked him first."_ Kat thought before glancing around. _"This is the funeral for a police officer, practically every officer at dad's precinct is in attendance and still no one's coming to my aid? Did they leave for the wake at mom's restaurant already?!"_

"Oh, I hope this isn't a misunderstanding!" Ehsan's voice rang out and Target looked up to see the Syrian throw a large rock that he had summoned at his chest knocking him down and sending the mask for his priest disguise flying. "Oh, thank god, I did not want to explain the alternative to Cap!"

"Neither did I!" Yuri chimed in as she summoned a strong gust of wind that levitated Target and held him in place. "Kat are you here?"

"Over here!" Kat called out as she emerged from behind the tombstone that she had been using for cover. "Am I glad to see you guys, never tried fighting in heels before and I'm not in a hurry to try."

"You won't get a chance!" Target responded as he pointed his gun at Kat only for Yuri to send it flying. "You foolish girls don't understand, I am a true agent of justice!"

"No, what you are is a murderer who uses the fact that you and your followers have been killing Supervillains to justify your cause." Kat responded as she flew up to Target with her arms crossed. "You escaped prison once but the followers that broke you out the first time were rounded up by the police, hope you enjoy prison Target because you're never seeing the light of day again!"

"And if your father would have just left Shaun to his own devices, he'd still be alive today." Target responded, and Kat's eyes narrowed. "But I guess he's just as foolish as you are."

"Yuri, let him go." Kat said simply, and the Japanese girl turned to her. "I SAID LET HIM GO!" Kat shouted, and she winced before calling off the wind, as Target was falling to the ground Kat delivered a hard kick to his ribs breaking them in the process as the villain landed on the ground. "You show up to my dad's funeral posing as the priest." Kat added as she landed beside Target and put her foot on the broken ribs causing him to grunt in pain "All so you can carry out your sick crusade! And now you mock him in death?!"

"I'm merely stating the truth." Target grunted in pain as Yuri spotted someone coming up the hill and tried to alert Kat non verbally as she went to breathe fire on him. "Go ahead, prove what a villain you are and disgrace your father's memory! You'll just prove that I was right all along."

"No, she won't." Lin's voice rang out and all color drained from Kat's face before she glanced around and saw Lin with a disappointed look on her face. "Leave him Kat, the police will see too it that he sees justice for his crimes."

"I…" Kat trailed off before calling off the fire and stepping over Target, she lowered her head as she walked towards Lin and sighed. "I'm sorry mom, but he disrespected dad."

"No apology is needed, I heard the whole thing." Lin assured her and Kat grinned, however Lin saw Target reach for another gun and shoved Kat to the ground just as Target fired his shot striking her in the stomach, it took Kat a second for her to process the scene as her mother fell onto her back whilst Yuri and Ehsan watched on in shock.

"MOM!?" Kat yelled out as she scrambled to her feet with her eyes as wide as dinner plates, she rushed over to Lin's side and grasped her hand tightly as panic started to set in. "No, no! I can't lose you too mom!"

"Got you right where I want you." Target whispered as he went to take another shot, however just before he could Yuri flew down and kicked him in the head knocking him out and causing him to drop the gun as the others arrived on the scene.

"Kat, what's going…..." Jenny trailed off as she saw the scene and eyes widened. "Oh shit, get an ambulance now!" Jenny yelled to the other officers who rushed off to call for one, once they were gone she jogged up to Kat and Lin. "Don't worry Kat, an ambulance is on its way."

"There's no way they'd get to a hospital in time!" Kat responded as she was clearly freaking out at which point Lin squeezed her hand.

"My little angel, don't worry, worse comes to worse, I'll still look over you." Lin assured her before passing out from the pain.

"I'm flying her to the hospital." Kat quickly decided as she gently picked up her mother's unconscious form. "I don't care if the whole of New York will see up my dress, my mom needs medical attention."

"Do what you have too, you have my number if you need a chat." Jenny responded, and Kat nodded before flying off with Lin and Yuri and Ehsan flew right behind her.

*later*

It was a scene that was all too familiar for Kat as she waited in the waiting room at Mercy General for news of whether her mom made it and (after returning to the house to get changed into more casual clothing whilst keeping her hair in a ponytail after dropping mom off) it wasn't the only thing on her mind.

" _It didn't take long for word to reach Cap of what happened at the funeral."_ Kat thought as she glanced at the operating room where the surgeons were working to save her mother's life. _"When Cap called Yuri, I did come clean about what I almost did to Target, hopefully this won't be a repeat of the incident that led up to my expulsion from the internship."_ Kat thought with a frown before Yuri and Ehsan returned with Marco. "So, what's the news?"

"They're not going to expel you." Yuri assured her, and Kat let out a massive sigh of relief. "Cap said that, given the circumstances and what Target said about your dad, he's willing to let it slide but don't make a habit off it."

"Don't plan too." Kat responded before taking a deep breath. "What about Target?"

"He's back in police custody and what you said back at the cemetery should ring true, provided his lawyer doesn't try to get the case thrown out based on what you did." Ehsan responded, and Kat sighed as the other two teens sat to her right and Marco sat to her left. "Any word on your mom?"

"Still in surgery, I flew her here as fast as I could and hopefully she'll make it." Kat added before leaning forward. "And even then, she'll have to spend a few days in hospital, not sure if I'd be able to maintain the house in between my Superheroics."

"What about the restaurant?" Ehsan asked, and Kat leaned back.

"Fortunately, my mom managed to hire a brigade to run it, mostly made up of local teens from the area with a professional chef as her Sous Chef so if anything, it should be in good hands, especially since he knows her recipes." Kat responded before the door to the operating room opened and the surgeon stepped out. _"Getting flashbacks to when dad died, god I hope mom makes it!"_ Kat thought as the surgeon walked up to her. "How's mom?"

"We did everything we could for her." The surgeon stated, and Kat could feel a lump in her throat as she thought back to when her dad died. "And fortunately, it was enough, your mother will need a few days of bed rest, but she's expected to make a full recovery."

"Oh, thank god." Kat breathed a massive sigh of relief before turning to the surgeon. "When can I see her?"

"She just got out of surgery, one of the nurses will let you know when she wakes up." The surgeon responded, and Kat nodded before he walked off.

"Well, that's a massive weight off my shoulders." Kat sighed once the surgeon was out of earshot before turning to Yuri and Ehsan. "I know I've said it already but thanks for the help back there, I don't know how long I would've been able to keep ducking Target's shots before he managed to hit me and I'd rather not think of what would've happened next."

"Don't worry about it, besides we just happened to be flying past the cemetery when Target made his first move." Yuri responded with a grin which Kat returned. "And I'm glad your mom's okay, pretty sure you'd agree that you've been through enough family drama already with your dad's death!"

"And if I was old enough to drink, I'd drink to that." Kat responded with a grin before glancing at the clock. "Anyone else out on patrol?"

"Iron Man and Thor are doing some in field training with two trainees, you know, the twin sisters from Mexico?" Ehsan asked, and Kat nodded once she realized what he meant. "Aside from them, not much, we were hoping to have you on patrol with us but for obvious reasons that was impossible."

"Not that it didn't stop me from kicking ass with you guys." Kat responded with a grin before sighing. "And I just remembered, I've got to get the life insurance agent's number from mom."

"Guessing that's too do with your dad?" Yuri asked, and Kat nodded.

"Yeah, the day after his death mom told me that dad had taken out a life insurance policy on himself due to the dangers in his line of work, don't know the exact details but me and mom are set to receive half each." Kat explained as she leaned back. "In fact, the exact details where the whole reason why we were going to meet him tomorrow but with mom in the hospital I'm going to have to see if I can rearrange the appointment on her behalf."

"That shouldn't be too difficult." Yuri responded with a nod before the two teens got a call on their earpieces. "Love to stay and chat but Cap wants us back out on patrol, he also sends his regards to your mom."

"Tell him that she's going to make it and thanks." Kat responded, and Yuri nodded before she and Ehsan left. "I'm not usually one to play matchmaker, if anything the fact that it took us so long to admit our feelings for each other is a good indication that I'm not good at it, but am I the only one who thinks they'd make a cute couple?" Kat asked with a sheepish grin as she turned to Marco who shook his head with a laugh.

"Never mind that Ehsan's 6ft 4 and Yuri's 5ft 2, she'd need a step ladder just to get high enough to kiss him." Marco joked getting a laugh out of Kat. "I mean, the size difference between us is also obvious but you're the average height for a woman and I'm 6ft, our size difference isn't that obvious." Marco added before he went to take a sip out of a drink he had gotten from a vending machine.

"For a minute there I thought you were going to compare your dick size with Ehsan's." Kat joked nearly causing Marco to spit out his drink in the process, once he recovered Marco gave her a mock glare. "Hey, I'm not judging! What you do in the men's changing room is your business!"

"It's times like these that make me glad you left your earpiece at your mom's house because I'd hate to imagine Cap's expression if he heard what you just said." Marco responded before motioning to his earpiece. "And before you ask, I turned it off before I came in."

"Came into what exactly?" Kat asked with a grin getting a laugh out of Marco. "Thanks for this Marco, between the funeral and everything that happened afterwards, I needed the laugh."

"Hey, what are friends for right? Especially boyfriends." Marco responded, and Kat grinned in response. "So I've been thinking about something you said during your confrontation with Jessica yesterday, were you serious when you said that you were saving yourself for me?"

"As serious as a hea…. okay maybe using that saying in a hospital isn't a good idea." Kat realized with a wince before backtracking. "Deadly ser….no that's even worse!" Kat added before running a hand down her face. "I'm serious, hell even before we started dating I wanted you to be the first guy I had sex with, off course that nearly went out the window when you took a certain wrong turning but as I said on the day, the thugs didn't get that far."

"It's been a few weeks and your still not letting me live down the fact that my dad's car ran out of fuel because I didn't like the look of the food at mid-town high?!" Marco asked with an annoyed look on his face and Kat quickly nodded in response. "Okay, I guess I do deserver it even if we turned out okay in the end, still if you want to get that out of the way I'm free whenever."

"Just going to assume that you're not talking about doing the deed here in the hospital because I think of several different mood killing scenarios right off the top of my head." Kat responded as she shook her head and Marco grinned. "Tell you what, next time we're out on patrol we try to find a quiet spot and turn off our earpieces for a while." Kat added with a grin and Marco's grin widened as he got the idea. "Just be sure to bring protection."

"Kat, your mother is awake." One of the nurses said as she walked up to the teenager and she grinned before standing up. "I can take you to her if you want."

"Sure." Kat responded before glancing at Marco. "Catch up with you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure." Marco responded before standing up. "See you tomorrow." Marco added before walking off.

*later that night*

Not even a city wide manhunt was going to stop Jessica from returning home, even if she wasn't welcome there.

" _Hypocritical idiots, they took me in after my scumbag father got found out but the moment I get powers I'm no longer allowed in my own home."_ Jessica thought as she broke into a fancy apartment, she had used her electrical powers to short out the alarm and grinned when she saw her laptop. _"Perfect! They haven't thrown it out yet, now to do some research."_ Jessica thought before turning on the laptop, logging in and opening Firefox, wasting no time Jessica went to the news websites and saw the words "SUPERVILLAIN ALERT". _"Surely they can't be talking about me? I'm still a hero in the public's eye."_ Jessica thought before clicking on the YouTube vid.

"The supervillain known as the Shocker is set a parole hearing tomorrow afternoon here at the courthouse." The reporter stated as the image of the villain appeared on the screen. "Shocker, real name Herman Schultz, fifty three, was among the inmates freed from the Raft by Shockwave, however the only reason he is being granted a parole hearing is because he surrendered without much of a fight, the parole hearing for Whirlwind, real name David Cannon, who surrendered under similar circumstances, is scheduled for later this week."

" _Whirlwind, he's a more respectable villain, but his powers clash with mine but Shocker? He is perfect!"_ Jessica thought before grabbing the laptop, unplugging it and putting it in a laptop bag. _"The whole world is going to pay for turning their back on me!"_ Jessica thought with a maniacal grin as she produced electricity from her hand. _"Starting with my adopted family!"_


	22. Shock and Awe

It was the day after Howard's funeral and through the streets of New York a prison van was transporting a criminal to the courthouse for his parole hearing, however this was no ordinary villain.

"Why are they even bothering with the parole hearing for Schultz?" One of the guards on the inside of the van asked as they drove through the city, in between the two guards sat Herman Schultz, alias the Shocker, who had remained silent throughout the journey. "How long until he gets his Shocker suit back and goes back to his usual tricks if he does get paroled?"

"I don't know Garvin, since the jailbreak he's been on his best behavior, if he doesn't get paroled then he'll probably get let out on good behavior." The other guard responded before shrugging. "And even if he does go back to his old ways, he'll get slapped with a parole violation faster than you can say "back to jail Shocker"."

"Oh geez, that looks bad." One of the guards in the front of the van commented and the guards and Shocker looked up. "Looks like there's a fire at one of the fancy apartments in the Financial Centre, looks like the Fire Brigade have it covered."

"Probably some rich guy trying to get richer with an insurance scheme." Herman shrugged his shoulders and the guards turned to him. "You'd be surprised at how common that is."

"Somehow I doubt it Schultz." Garvin responded before the van came to a screeching halt. "What's going on?!"

"Car crash right at the last intersection before the courthouse." The guard driving the van responded with a frown as he looked around. "Get yourselves comfy and I'll figure out an alternate path to the courthouse."

"Whatever, just get us there in one piece." The guard responded before turning to Schultz. "Your buddies wouldn't have anything to do with this, would they Shocker?"

"You give me too much credit." Herman responded before Garvin got a message through the radio.

"Garvin here." Garvin responded before listening to the message. "Say that again? Someone broke into the evidence locker and stole Shocker's equipment?!" Garvin asked before turning to Herman. "If your buddies tell on you, kiss parole goodbye."

"Again, your giving me too much credit." Shocker responded before they heard the van shake. "What the?!"

*meanwhile outside the van*

"That was too easy." Jessica commented with a grin as she flexed her muscles, she had used the crash with her electrical powers and had one more task to complete. "Now the real fun begins."

"This had better be a sick joke." Garvin commented as he and the other guards got out of the van, however before they could do anything Jessica fried them all with her electrical powers killing them all before flying down to the van.

"Herman Schultz?" Jessica asked as she stepped into the van and the veteran villain turned to her. "Or do you prefer Shocker?"

"Who wants to know?" Herman asked before Jessica freed him with her powers.

"Name's Shockwave, I currently have your equipment and I have a grudge against a certain hero that sent you to jail during the jailbreak." Jessica added before offering her hand. "What do you say to getting some payback on Dragon Girl?"

"You know what? You've got a deal." Herman responded as he accepted the handshake. "Just point me to where your keeping my stuff."

"Follow me." Jessica responded before leading Schultz away from the scene.

*the next day*

Two days had passed since Howard's funeral and Lin's hospitalization and Kat had been doing her best to keep the house and restaurant clean to her mother's standards whilst the Sous Chef took over her mother's duties as the head chef of the restaurant, however there was one area where Kat was completely useless.

" _I knew I should've asked mom to teach me some basic cooking skills outside of sauces."_ Kat thought as she sat in a booth at a diner in midtown, she had just shown up for breakfast and was going over the menu, she was in her civilian garb with the backpack containing the Dragon Girl costume sitting next to her. _"But no! I had to go and rely on mom's cooking! Granted her cooking skills are the main reason why her restaurant is so successful, but I can't rely on that forever, I'll have to move out sooner or later and mom's not going to be around forever."_

"This seat taken Kat?" Kat looked up from the menu and saw Hawkeye who like her, was in her civilian garb, Kat shook her head before she invited Hawkeye to join her and he accepted. "I thought Cap told me that you sometimes helped your mother on the line at her restaurant? And yet the other trainees have seen you come here daily since her hospitalization"

"I did, at least until I got my wings." Kat responded as she glanced at the wings. "But mom only got around to teaching me how to make Chinese sauces, Sweet and Sour, XO, you know the drill." Kat added with a sigh as she handed him a menu which he took. "She never got around to teaching me basic cooking skills, she did say that she'll get right on that after she's discharged from the hospital but until then I've mostly been living off Dominos and this place, if it weren't for my Superhero activities and my training at the training grounds I'd probably have been put on at least a hundred pounds by now."

"At least it won't be that long until your mother is discharged from the hospital." Hawkeye responded, and Kat nodded in agreement before deciding on what she wanted. "How is your mother anyway?"

"Getting better, she may be fifty and has her fair share of back problems but she's tougher than she looks, hell she stared down Target when he tried to kill me in the hospital the other week. If that doesn't speak volumes for how tough she is I don't know what will." Kat responded with a small smile before smiling. "Can't wait for her to get out of the hospital to be honest."

"True enough and I can't blame you there." Hawkeye responded before frowning. "Still, you're on a high school student's budget, how are you affording meals here in the morning and Dominos in the evening?"

"I'm a lot better at saving up than Marco so I've made it work so far." Kat responded before frowning and grabbing her wallet to check its contents, sure enough when she counted the notes her frown deepened. "Jesus Christ, I've managed to spend fifty bucks since the funeral." Kat added as she shook her head.

"Yeah, I thought that was the case." Hawkeye sighed as Kat put her wallet away and the waitress came over to take their orders. "Bacon and eggs for me."

"I'll take the omelet." Kat added once the waitress turned to her and she nodded before walking off, once the waitress was out of earshot Kat leaned forward. "So, what? Do you want to split the bill?"

"Don't worry, I'll cover it." Hawkeye assured her and Kat grinned. "You should've said that your mom never taught you basic cooking skills earlier, we would've been glad to help."

"Blame my stubborn streak I guess." Kat responded with a sheepish grin. "Besides, it's kind of a lame thing to call on you guys to help with, isn't it? I mean, I'm not gonna call on Thor, God of Thunder and all round ass kicker just because she bakes a mean apple pie!"

"Well, no, that is a good point." Hawkeye admitted with a slight laugh as the waitress came over with their food. "But I'm sure Cap will figure something out, come to think of it, why haven't you asked Marco?"

"You know how me, and Marco used to live in Woodstock? Well the last time he was trusted to cook anything on his own, a HAZMAT team had to be called in and several buildings had to be evacuated, in the middle of winter to boot." Kat responded, and Hawkeye gave her a disbelieving look. "Including the house that I lived in with my parents at the time."

"Right, remind me to advice Cap against doing that." Hawkeye responded before he spotted something on the TV monitor and turned to the waitress. "Can you turn up the TV please?" Hawkeye asked the waitress who nodded before doing so.

"And in today's top story, the notorious Supervillain known as the Shocker was broken out of the van transporting him to his parole hearing yesterday afternoon." The reporter said as a picture of the Shocker showed up next to his head. "What's most surprising is The Shocker's accomplice as the young hero known as Shockwave has apparently turned to evil, killing the guards in the process and is believed to be the one who stole the Shocker's equipment from the Evidence Locker, both Shocker and Shockwave are to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, boy, that escalated quickly." Kat commented dryly as the news report ended and the TV was turned back down before she turned to Hawkeye, a few minutes passed, and the two heroes had their food in front of them. "And I thought I took my expulsion hard." Kat added once the waitress was out of earshot.

"Difference is, you had Marco and your family to support you, Jessica? Everyone at the training grounds cut ties with her after word got out about why she was expelled and her parents?" Hawkeye responded before getting a newspaper clipping out from his pocket. "Have a look at this." Hawkeye added before passing it to her.

"Family of four found dead in house fire confirmed to have been killed before fire by coroner." Kat read the clipping out loud as she ate her omelet. "Father castrated, daughters and mother raped with several sharp instruments before being left to bleed to death whilst tied to their beds, okay is there a point to this beyond putting me off breakfast? Because this is reading like a Death Metal song's lyrics."

"Those songs have lyrics?" Hawkeye asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Gets easier to understand them after a while." Kat shrugged, and Hawkeye frowned.

"Anyway, yes there is a point, read on." Hawkeye responded, and Kat nodded before reading the rest of the newspaper clipping.

"Harold Andrews, forty seven, his wife Gina Andrews, forty four, and their daughters Chloe and Chelsea, both sixteen, will be cremated as per the families wishes, wait, Andrews?!" Kat did a double take once it set in before she turned to Hawkeye. "Isn't Andrews Jessica's surname?"

"Yeah, it is, and Cap's already checked." Hawkeye responded before Kat passed the clipping back to him. "It's the same family that adopted her, only they were a rich family from the financial district, father was a certified public accountant, mother was a rising star in one of the top law firms in the city and their daughters looked set to go to Harvard next year, quite a far track from the humble roots that Jessica claimed to have."

"No kidding." Kat nodded in agreement as they finished their food. "So, wait, if she lied about her mom's profession, among other things, how did she get the make-up she gave me?"

"You can order that stuff online, at least that's what Wasp tells me, if she told you that they were custom made then that's yet another lie." Hawkeye explained, and Kat frowned.

"Remind me to set up an Amazon account when mom gets out of the hospital." Kat responded before she realized something. "But why would she lie about her family? Maybe its just me but if I came from a wealthy family like that, I'd find it hard to keep that fact a secret."

"I know what you mean and even before you were welcomed back, Jessica never talked about her family much." Hawkeye nodded in agreement before the waitress returned to get their plates. "Can we get the bill please?" Hawkeye asked, and the waitress nodded before walking off. "And that's where you come in, it was your actions that led to Jessica's expulsion and you had a hand in sending Shocker to jail during the jailbreak, not to mention you helped send him back there when you first got your powers, point is, it's likely that they'll come after you."

"Like I didn't have enough on my plate already with Target and Hellraiser." Kat grumbled under her breath as the waitress returned with the bill. "You don't have to pay, I can cover it."

"Didn't you say that you went through fifty bucks in two days?" Hawkeye asked with a raised eyebrow as Kat reached for her wallet. "How much do you have in there exactly?" Hawkeye asked, and Kat checked the contents.

"Barely over twenty five dollars." Kat responded sheepishly after she checked the contents. "And nothing in my bank account, at least until we meet with the insurance agent about dad's life insurance policy."

"Which won't be until she's discharged from hospital, and I remember you telling Cap yesterday that she won't be out for another week." Hawkeye pointed out and Kat hesitated before pocketing the wallet. "Don't worry, we'll look after you, feel free to tip the waitress if it makes you feel better, but I've got this."

"Thanks Flint." Kat responded with a sigh before she left a five dollar note as a tip for the waitress. "Pretty sure that if it weren't for this chat, I would've run out of money before asking for help."

"Don't worry about it." Hawkeye responded before putting enough money down to cover their meals. "I have to get going to the training center, you'll be joining Marco on his first patrol since his suspension got lifted, and yes, he has his PC back, alongside Adriana and Claudia, the Mexican twins, at this location." Hawkeye added before passing her the address.

"Tell them I'll be with them ASAP, just gotta get changed first." Kat responded, and Hawkeye nodded before walking off. _"First mom's in the hospital and now one of the most powerful trainees has turned evil and its partially my fault, can this week get any worse?"_ Kat thought before standing up and grabbing her backpack before following Hawkeye out.

*a few minutes later*

It didn't take long for Kat to get changed back into her Dragon Girl costume and it wasn't long after that that she was flying through the city with her wings out.

" _I honestly don't know how I've managed to keep this up without losing my mind."_ Kat thought as she flew through Midtown and towards the meeting point in Spanish Harlem. _"My hopes of having a normal life were dashed barely a week after I got my powers, my dad got shot and killed, my mom got shot and is in hospital leaving me to do all the chores on my own, if anything this week has been good practice for when I get a place to call my own, at least until I move in with Marco."_ Kat thought as she flew through a residential area, however as she flew passed an apartment building something caught her ear.

"Damn it, Zach, how could you betray me like that?" A young woman's voice rang out and Kat looked up seeing the woman, who was around her age with long dark brown hair in a ponytail and blue eyes, throw a locket off the building, Kat was too far away to catch it in time, but she could see the picture featured the woman with a boy a couple of years older than her. "And with Cindy as well?! No one loves me, I may as well end it!" The woman added before stepping onto the edge of the building.

" _Oh boy, I'd better talk her down."_ Kat thought with a wince before flying up the back of the building and landing on the roof, she ordered her wings to retract on the off chance that they accidentally knocked the woman off the ledge before walking up slowly. "Hey, mind if I join you?" Kat called out to her and the woman turned around.

"Don't you have some bank robbers to beat up?" The woman asked dismissively, and Kat frowned. "Your wasting your time Dragon Girl, its too late for me."

"Look, I don't mean to sound nosy, but I overheard your rant as I was flying past." Kat added as she glanced at the woman. "Whoever Zach and Cindy are can't be that bad, can they?"

"Zach was my boyfriend, I was planning to marry him at some point, have kids, the works." The woman responded as she turned to Kat. "Then I found out that he was cheating on me with my own sister!" The woman added, and Kat winced as it dawned on her. "And to make matters worse, he was cheating on me with her whilst my mom was in the hospital in my own apartment and even had the nerve to ask for a three-way after I walked in on them!"

" _Okay, yeah, they are pretty bad."_ Kat thought before sighing. "I can't imagine what you must be going through but believe me, I sympathize, I haven't had the best of times lately either."

"You can fly around the city and lift cars, I hardly consider that a rough time." The woman scoffed before Kat shook her head and took off her mask.

"That is true but even I couldn't save everyone in my life." Kat added, and the woman turned to her. "My dad was a policeman who got shot and killed in the line of duty the other week, my mom? She's in the hospital because she took a bullet wound to the stomach for me." Kat explained leaving the woman speechless. "For all my powers, even I couldn't protect my family, but I continued on knowing that it could always get worse and that I should face life's challenges."

"Easy for you to say, at least you still have a family that loves you." The woman responded as she glanced down at the street below her where a crowd of onlookers had gathered. "I can't even say that!"

"Look, I'm not about to deny that Zach and Cindy sound like horrible people and from our brief conversation, I can tell that you deserve a lot better than them." Kat responded as the woman turned to her. "But there's always a better way to resolve things than what your about to do, this isn't the answer and if you think it is, then you're just letting them win." Kat added, and the woman stepped away from the ledge.

"You…you sound like your talking from personal experience." The woman commented, and Kat sighed.

"When I was fourteen, I thought I had met the boy who I would spend the rest of my life with, like me he was on the track team at my old high school and it seemed like a perfect match." Kat added before lowering her head. "Turned out he was screwing the entire high school cheerleader squad and considered me a onetime fling, even got one of the cheerleaders pregnant in the process, we got into a public fight and I broke it off with him, but the shock of that incident led to me doing some really stupid stuff, I started cutting my wrists, almost on a daily basis and I did my best to cover them up." Kat added before glancing at her wrists. "What I just told you? It was the exact same thing my dad told me when he caught me in the act one night, unfortunately I cut the wrong way and came this close to dying that night, only thing that saved my life was my dad's quick thinking as he used a towel to stop the bleeding long enough for an ambulance to arrive but that was the worst moment of my life, prior to that I had been doing it to cope with the break-up but my near death experience was a major wake-up call."

"I had no idea." The woman responded, and Kat shook her head.

"Not a lot of people do, it's not exactly a period that I look back fondly on." Kat responded, and the woman sighed. "What I'm saying is, as nasty as Zach and my first boyfriend was, we both deserve much better and for my efforts since then, I've got myself a boyfriend who actually loves me."

"You mean Mental Boy?" The woman asked, and Kat nodded, the woman hesitated before stepping off the ledge." Thanks Dragon Girl, when you first came onto the scene, I thought you were just another Superhero." The woman added as she walked away from the edge and towards the entrance to her building. "You've just changed my opinion on you completely."

"No problem just don't sell that story to the press." Kat added, and the woman nodded before returning to her apartment, Kat put her mask back on and started flying off. _"Hope no one was listening in to that, it's not something I'm comfortable talking about."_ Kat thought as she flew off.

*elsewhere*

Whilst that was going on with Kat Marco had just gotten acquainted with the twin sisters, unfortunately for them Marco had gotten bored during the wait and did what he normally did whilst bored.

"I had heard stories of how terrible his singing was." Adriana muttered under her breath as she shook her head whilst Marco sung along too "Can U Deliver" by Armored Saint in his usual, butchering style. "But nothing could've prepared me for that."

"Could be a lot worse." Claudia shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at Marco, being twins both girls had shoulder length black hair and brown eyes and were clearly of Mexican descent, the only way you could really tell them apart was their costumes, Adriana was dressed in a black and white outfit with the white parts being more prominent than the dark whilst the opposite was true for Claudia. "I've heard you sing in the shower."

"Oh, come on! I'm not that bad!" Adriana protested, and Claudia laughed in response, Adriana shook her head before turning to Marco. "Remind me to tell him not to audition for The Voice or American Idol once he's done."

"He hates The Voice and I wasn't aware that American Idol was still on." Kat's voice rang out and the two sisters looked up seeing Kat land on the rooftop with an amused look on her face. "Name's Kat, otherwise known as Dragon Girl."

"I'm Adriana, my older sister is Claudia." Adriana introduced herself and her sister as the three girls shared a handshake. "As for our Superhero identities, she's El Sombra and I'm Lo Divino."

"Okay, to be honest? I have enough trouble understanding my relatives from China since most of them don't speak English, in other words I'm not great at other languages." Kat responded sheepishly, and the two Mexican girls laughed.

"Translated from Spanish, our names mean The Shadow and The Divine respectively." Claudia explained, and Kat nodded in understanding once she got the idea. "Basically, I have powers over the dark and Adriana can control light."

"I kinda guessed that based on your costumes." Kat commented before glancing at Marco who had just finished the song. "Sorry for making you wait and having to put up with my boyfriend's singing, had to stop along the way and talk down a woman who was ready to jump off a building."

"You were successful right?" Adriana asked, and Kat nodded in response. "Gracias a Dios, we've had enough of that in our lives."

"She basically just thanked god." Claudia explained once she saw the confused look on Kat's face. "And as for what she said afterwards, it's a long story, we'll explain after the patrol."

"Sure." Kat nodded as Marco walked up to them. "Any sightings of Shocker or Shockwave since she freed him yesterday?"

"You heard about that too?" Marco asked, and Kat looked up before nodding. "If there was a sign of her I think someone would've turned her into the police already, since she's a cop killer now most of the city's police force are on the lookout for her."

" _Not to mention what she allegedly did to her adoptive family."_ Kat thought before Adriana and Claudia put their masks on. "I think we should make finding them our top priority, Shocker on his own isn't that much of a threat but I don't think I need to remind you guys of how powerful Jessica is, take Shocker's years of experience and Jessica's powers and…..."

"You get a deadly combination." Adriana nodded once she understood what Kat was getting at before the two Mexican girls took flight. "There was a rumored sighting over in Mid-Town, near Mid-Town High, I think that should be our starting point."

"Aren't they still repairing the school from the damage Styx and Stone did when they took over the place?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "Granted Kat didn't exactly help by kicking Stone through a wall but still."

"I was just glad that the school didn't make my parents pay for the repairs." Kat responded before nodding in response. "Yeah, from what I heard, the repairs will likely take up the rest of the year, I know we were set to graduate in October, so I don't know what's going to happen there."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, anyway let's get going." Marco responded, and the three girls nodded before they flew off, however whilst Adriana and Claudia went on ahead Marco trailed behind, so he could keep up with Kat. "So, I hear that the food situation in your house is getting pretty dire."

"Hawkeye mentioned that?" Kat asked as she glanced over at Marco who nodded. "I'm going to say the same thing I said to him at the diner, since I never learned any basic cooking skills I've had to resort to eating at a diner and ordering Dominos to keep myself from going hungry, it hasn't exactly left my wallet in the best state."

"Never mind the fact that Dominos doesn't even make good pizza." Marco responded with a grin and Kat rolled her eyes. "Just saying that from the perspective of an Italian."

"An Italian who can't cook most Italian dishes outside of pizza and do I even need to bring up what happened the last time you were left alone in the kitchen?" Kat responded with a knowing grin and Marco rolled his eyes.

"So, what if my mad scientist concoction resulted in HAZMAT being called in." Marco responded getting the attention of Claudia and Adriana. "It was still tasty!"

"Sorry to butt in but what did you do to earn a visit from HAZMAT?" Adriana asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned to the older teens who shook their heads.

"I was trusted to cook something on my own." Marco responded, and the twin sisters shared a look. "And several houses being evacuated, including Kat's, this was before we moved to New York before you ask."

"…. I'm not even going to ask." Claudia responded after a few seconds before she flew off, Adriana watched her sister fly off before she turned to Marco and Kat.

"Guys, maybe, just maybe, when you move in together, leave the cooking to Kat?" Adriana suggested, and Kat went to respond. "Because even someone with no basic cooking skills is better than HAZMAT being called in."

"Yeah, I can't argue with that." Kat responded as she shook her head before the four teens flew off.

*later across town*

Shocker and Shockwave had moved on from Mid-Town High by this point and had tried to rob a bank, however whether it was due to Jessica's inexperience as a villain or due to the silent alarm being tripped the bank robbery quickly turned into a hostage situation.

"I don't understand." Malcom commented to Jenny as the two police officers kept their guns trained on the bank. "I thought Shockwave was one of the good guys, err, girls, you know what I mean!"

"I have to admit, I'm just as confused." Jenny nodded in agreement as the negotiator tried to negotiate with the criminals to no avail. "Hope someone shows up soon to try to make some sense of this."

"You called?" Kat's voice rang out and Jenny looked up seeing Kat, Marco, Adriana and Claudia landing behind the police line. "What can you tell us? Most we know is that Shocker and Shockwave are committing a bank robbery."

"They were but it turned into a hostage situation." Jenny explained with a frown. "They've agreed to let four people out already but there's still fifty people in there including bank staff, Shockwave and Shocker."

"What are their demands?" Marco asked, and Jenny's frown deepened.

"That's the weird part, they, well Shockwave I should say, are demanding Dragon Girl show up alone." Jenny explained, and the three teens turned to Kat. "The negotiator has been fielding the same "she'll be here soon" lie to keep them distracted but unless you go in alone they are going to start killing hostages."

"Guys, quick huddle?" Kat whispered to the other teens who turned to her. "If this doesn't scream death trap then Captain America may as well change his name to Captain Sweden."

"I know but it's a lose-lose situation either way because if we enter at the same time those hostages are dead." Adriana pointed out before glancing at the roof. "Hey, isn't that the same bank you busted with Shockwave and Mental Boy last week? The one with the skylight?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, surprised they managed to get the damage repaired from the first bank robbery so quickly." Kat commented before getting an idea. "I'll go in alone, but you guys will wait on the roof, at the first sign of trouble swoop in and try to keep them busy whilst the hostages escape."

"You sure about this Kat?" Marco asked with a concerned look on his face. "Jessica was unhinged when she was still a trainee, who knows what she's like now that she's gone evil."

"True, but she's also an egomaniac, she won't kill me right away because she'll want to brag first." Kat assured him before turning to Jenny. "I'm going in. Mental Boy, El Sombra and Lo Divino will wait on the roof."

"Try not to escalate the situation." Jenny told her, and Kat nodded before the four teens flew towards the bank.

*inside the bank*

" _I just wanted to bust out of prison and get revenge on Dragon Girl."_ Shocker thought as he leaned against one of the support beams for the bank, the hostages and Jessica couldn't see it because of his mask but he had an uneasy look on his face. _"Maybe toss up a bank or two along the way, I had no idea Shockwave would take it this far and the worst part is? I'm afraid that she'll go through with her threat if Dragon Girl doesn't show up."_ Shocker thought before glancing at Jessica who was pacing back and forth. "Why don't we just get out of here Shockwave? I've robbed this bank before, there's a back entrance we could use to slip by the police undetected."

"Did you just forget who's in charge old man?" Shockwave asked as she produced electricity from her hands. "Or do I need to remind you that I could fry you in an instant if I wanted too."

"And I could send you flying with a blast from my gauntlets just as quickly." Shocker responded with a frown under his mask. _"If she didn't bust me out of the prison van I'd be wondering why I was putting up with the Punk Rock version of Electro, she's definitely just as insane as Dillon or Frye though."_ Shocker thought before the doors opened and Kat flew in. "So, you're finally here."

"This is your last chance Jessica." Kat said as she walked into the bank before noticing a confused look on a female bank teller's face. "I was talking to Shockwave." She whispered to her and the bank employee nodded before she turned her attention back to Shockwave who had flown in front of Shocker. "You could come quietly or loudly, your choice, what do you say?"

"What's the point? Or didn't you hear that I'm a cop killer now?" Jessica asked as she glared at Kat before she took off her mask. "The moment I step outside is the moment I eat lead and not even my electricity powers can stop that many bullets."

" _She's right, and with my dad's death still fresh in their minds I don't think I'd blame the NYPD for turning her into Swiss Cheese."_ Kat thought before her eyes narrowed. "Just tell me why your doing this Jessica, you were kicked off the Internship, but you could've still been a force for good in the world." Kat asked, and Jessica's eyes narrowed.

"Why? Because the whole fucking world turned its back on me!" Jessica snapped at her as she grit her teeth in anger. "Because the whole world turned its back on me! That's why! When I first got my powers, I was kicked out of my home by my parents, said that they didn't want to deal with the "Superhero Rabble" as they put it, that's why I killed them and my step-sisters!" Jessica added as she clenched her first in anger. "Up until you busted me for causing the jailbreak that led to your dad's death I was staying with a friend in Queens, once word got out of what I had done she threw me out."

"Wait, hold on, I'm a little lost here." Shocker interrupted them as he put his hands up. "You." Shocker said as he pointed to Jessica. "Caused the blackout that led to me and several other prisoners escaping from prison, and what's that about your dad's death?" Shocker asked as he pointed to Dragon Girl.

" _Do I really want to reveal to Shocker that my dad saved his life? He's being reasonable, well, compared to Jessica at least, but that would involve me revealing my identity to a villain."_ Kat thought but never got a chance to answer, mostly because Jessica beat her too it.

"Oh, right, I never mentioned that." Jessica added before flying at Kat and spearing her to the ground, Kat struggled for a few seconds before Jessica ripped off her mask, kissed her on the lips and pulled her up in a chokehold from behind. "Meet Dragon Girl, or Katrina Sheng Lao."

"I have no idea who that is." Shocker scoffed before Kat headbutted Jessica by leaning her head back, grabbed her mask and put it back on. "I remember a Katrina being on the scene when that cop saved my life the other week but…" Shocker trailed off before it hit him. "Wait, you're the girl who beat me up when I teamed with Jack O'Lantern and Rhino for that bank job? Surprised I didn't put it together sooner, wait that also means."

"Yes, it was my dad who saved you." Kat interrupted him giving Shocker pause.

"Herman, I didn't break you out of the prison van to think, for one thing if you could think you would've picked a better nickname." Jessica added rudely as she flew behind Shocker. "Go keep an eye on the hostages."

"Fine, whatever." Shocker grumbled before he walked over to the hostages.

"So, what was that kiss about this time?" Kat asked as she glared at Jessica who grinned broadly.

"That kiss wasn't because your hot Katrina, and trust me, you are." Jessica responded before grinning maniacally. "It was a kiss of death, pity you never got around to screwing Marco."

" _Man, I am learning way to much about a couple of eighteen year old girls that I'm comfortable with."_ Shocker thought as he shook his head before spotting a heavily pregnant brunette woman trying to sneak out and pointed the gauntlets at her. "Where do you think you're going?" Shocker demanded, and the woman paused.

"Please, I just want to get out of here." The woman pleaded with Shocker as she turned to him. "I am literally weeks away from giving birth, I have two children and my husband is worried sick, not to mention that they are waiting for me outside, I'm off no use to you as a hostage." The woman added, and Shocker paused.

"Leave, quickly." Shocker instructed her as he put the gauntlets down. "Don't look back until you are passed the police line, and don't tell anyone what you just seen or heard." Shocker added, and the woman nodded before running to the exit as fast as she could.

"I thought I made it clear who's in charge Shocker." Shockwave commented as she saw the woman rush for the door and she took flight. "I said no one's allowed to leave until after I kill Dragon Girl." Shockwave added as Shocker turned to her and saw the electricity in her hands.

"What are you doing?!" Shocker demanded as the woman reached the automatic doors.

*meanwhile outside*

"Someone's coming out!" Captain Bennet called out as he saw the doors open, once the woman emerged the police lowered their weapons. "Someone get her to her family."

"On it chief." Jenny responded as she holstered her weapon and approached the steps to the bank, however Jenny wouldn't get close enough before Shockwave through the electricity at the woman electrocuting her in front of a shocked crowd for what felt like an eternity as she let out a blood curdling scream, after a few seconds the woman dropped face fire at the steps with her skin blackened from the electric shock.

"Mommy?" A child's distressed voice rang out and Captain Bennet turned to see the two children being consoled by their clearly distraught father as Jenny went up to check for a pulse.

"Steele, please tell me she somehow survived that." Bennet said into his radio and Jenny said nothing, only looking up at the chief with a sad look on her face as she shook her head.

*back inside the bank*

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Shocker demanded as he turned to Shockwave. "You said you'd let the hostages go after Dragon Girl showed up!"

"No, I said I'd let them go after I kill Dragon Girl." Shockwave responded as Kat quickly put a hand to her earpiece. "And if you continue to defy me, you'll be next! Hey, is that a cop I see?" Jessica asked as she produced more electricity. "I wonder if I can get her from here!"

"You won't get a chance." Kat interrupted her as she flew up to Shockwave and decked her in the jaw sending her flying towards the skylight where she was met with twin blasts of light and dark energy in the back causing her to crash to the floor. "What took you guys so long?"

"El Sombre and Lo Divino? Oh, and Marco as well, wonderful." Jessica responded sarcastically as she saw the three heroes glaring at her, however to their surprise she was sent flying by another blast, this time from Shocker. "What the hell Shocker?!"

"Oh, I'll tell you what the hell!" Shocker said as he glared at her with his gauntlets trained on her. "I entered this partnership to get revenge on Dragon Girl, but this? I didn't want to take the hostages, I just wanted to raid the vault and get the hell out of here! But then you killed her for no reason!" Shocker snapped at her as he glared at Jessica. "You make me sick! And trust me, as a career criminal I've met a lot of guys who make me sick! I quit!" Shocker added before turning to the heroes. "And you guys can consider this my surrender."

"You know I made fun of your costume before Shocker." Jessica added as she got back to her feet. "But now I see that it's appropriate because you are a yellow bellied coward! Not that it matters because your about to join that woman in the morgue!" Jessica added as she prepared another attack only to get tackled by Kat. "I thought you weren't into other girls."

"Guys get Shocker to the police line and explain the situation to Captain Bennet." Kat said as she ignored Jessica's comment and the other teens nodded before approaching Shocker. "Me and Jessica have a score to settle."

"If you need back up, give us a shout." Adriana responded before they escorted Shocker away, once they where outside the bank Kat turned to Jessica just in time for Jessica to send her flying her a blast of electricity.

"You know you can't beat me Kat!" Jessica shouted at Kat as she glared at the Chinese Girl. "Or do I need to remind you of how our sparring match ended."

"There's a big difference here Jess, Cap's not around to save you." Kat responded before she flew up to Jessica and sent her flying through the open skylight. "Now's your chance get out of here!" Kat shouted to the remaining hostages who nodded before they rushed towards the door.

"Didn't you learn anything from Shocker's mistake?" Jessica asked as she went to fly through the skylight only to get punched through it by Kat who came out through the skylight and quickly closed it. "What? You want to take this to the air again?"

"No one around for you to kill up there!" Kat responded before the two girls flew at each other and started exchanging blows in mid-air. "You didn't have to be like this Jess." Kat said as simultaneous punches sent both women flying backwards a few meters. "I got expelled and I continued my life as a Superhero, even busted the jailbreak you caused."

"That again?!" Jessica responded as she rolled her eyes before they flew at each other and continued exchanging blows. "There had been rumblings of a mass breakout at the Raft for weeks! I merely used my powers to speed things up!"

"That still doesn't make it right!" Kat responded as she ducked under a kick and barely avoided the electricity attack. "You said that the whole world turned its back on you but you have no one to blame but yourself for that!"

"Shut up!" Jessica snapped before producing a hammer made of electricity and swinging it at Kat, the attack caught her off guard and caused her to crash into the roof of the bank. "Still conscious? Pity, that's my version of your spin dash and it hasn't failed before."

"First time for everything." Kat responded before she flew up at Jessica who kept swinging at her with the electric hammer but aside from the occasional glancing blow Kat dodged most of the attacks. _"She's getting tired, time to end this."_ Kat thought before going into her spin dash and aiming at Jessica.

"Didn't you learn anything from the first time around? Here's a reminder!" Jessica responded before she went to produce electricity from her hands, but it failed. _"Shit, I'm focusing too much of my power on the hammer, still the hammer should be enough."_ Jessica thought before swinging the hammer at Kat again, this time Kat met it head on and didn't falter instead powering through it muck to Jessica's shock, Jess tried to use her electricity to slow down the spin dash again, but it failed as Kat flew right through it and hit her square on the chest causing Jessica to crash to the bank roof. "I just wanted to be a hero!" Jessica said weekly as Kat landed next to her. "And you ruined it! Just because you did it first!"

"I've regretted the incident that led to my expulsion ever since." Kat said as she knelt next to Jessica. "And I didn't kill the guy I tortured, you on the other hand killed hm without a second thought, bragged about it and tried to keep me quiet by using my actions against me." Kat added as she stood up. "That's what makes me different from you, I'm a hero who learns from her mistakes, you're just a second rate Electro."

"Better a second rate Electro than Cap's lapdog." Jessica scoffed before she passed out.

*later*

The coroner had taken away the woman's body and both Shocker and Shockwave where in separate police vehicles.

"I wish I could say that was fun." Adriana commented as she shook her head. "But seeing what Jessica did to that woman? That's going to haunt my nightmares."

"At least she's going to jail for the rest of her life." Kat nodded in response before glancing at Shocker. "What should I do about him? He knows my identity now."

"That's a great question." Marco responded with a shrug before remembering something. "Cap called by the way, he saw what Jessica did on TV and is calling an emergency meeting with all the trainees tomorrow morning at eleven."

"I must've missed that call due to the fight with Jessica." Kat shrugged her shoulders before turning to the twin sisters. "Hope we can do this again sometime, and under better circumstances."

"Si, that sounds good to me." Claudia nodded in response before Jenny walked up to them. "Something wrong officer?"

"No, just something weird." Jenny responded before turning to Kat. "Shocker wants a word with you before they drag him back to jail." Jenny added, and Kat nodded before walking over to the police car.

"So, do you prefer Dragon Girl or Katrina?" Shocker asked, and Kat hesitated. "If it's any consolation, I have no plans to tell the other prisoners."

"Just call me Kat, everyone else does." Kat shrugged as she leaned against a post. "So, what now Shocker? You kinda busted your chances at parole."

"So, I noticed." Shocker sighed before shaking his head. "To be honest, I'm getting too old for this crap! I was planning to hang up the gauntlets after my parole hearing and try to make an honest living, for now I'm just gonna serve out the rest of my sentence."

"At least your being honest with yourself Shocker." Kat responded before she went to walk away.

"One more thing." Shocker added, and Kat turned to him. "I never got to say this earlier but whilst he was a cop, I owe your dad my life, I'm sorry about your dad kid." Shocker added sincerely and Kat hesitated before nodding.

"Appreciate it Herman." Kat smiled before walking off.


	23. Day of Rest

It was the day after Kat's battle with Jessica and all the trainees had been called to the training hall for a quick meeting, when they arrived there they saw all the trainers present alongside some new, older faces and Cap front and center.

"Feel free to make yourselves comfortable everyone." Cap instructed the trainees who did so once they noticed the chairs that had been gathered around with Kat, Marco, Yuri and Ehsan sitting at the front. "First the good news, thanks to efforts of Katrina Shockwave was brought to justice for her many crimes last night, it is regrettable that a trainee would turn to evil like Jessica did but it became clear to me after Shockwave murdered that pregnant woman that I couldn't risk another situation like that."

"We've said it once, we've said it again and we'll say it a dozen more times until it gets drilled into your heads." Iron Man added as he stepped forward. "Every action you take in public under your costumed identities reflects on the rest of us, both good and bad, fortunately the questionable decisions taken by you lot have been few and far between and we intend to keep it that way, to that end, we have taken an action that, frankly, we should've taken from the beginning."

"No doubt you have all seen the new faces, and yes, they don't look like Superheroes, that's the point." Cap added before sighing. "These are professional psychologists. Between them they have decades of experience and starting immediately, they will be starting a monthly assessment of each trainee, any questions?" Cap added, and a few hands went up. "Silent Tempest?" Cap picked out Yuri from the crowd and she put her hand down.

"By immediately, do you mean right now?" Yuri asked, and Cap nodded.

"As soon as this meeting is over you'll be divided into groups and assigned a psychologist, and don't try to back out of it, these sessions are mandatory and unless you have a legitimate reason like an illness, family tragedy or a situation that needs your attention, failure to show up for these sessions will be met with a decision to decide if you are worth our time." Cap explained, and the trainees exchanged uneasy looks. "I know it sounds harsh but after the Shockwave situation we can't afford to take risks, these sessions will be confidential but at the end of the month I will assess the important notes, anything else?" Cap asked and a few more hands went up. "Dragon Girl?"

"I have a couple of questions actually." Kat responded as she put her hand down. "One: what will you do if you see anything in those reports that raise red flags? And will these sessions count towards them?"

"Valid questions, as for your first one, we will meet with the trainee in question and raise those points with them, if it's a one time thing then it'll pass, if the trainee does it again, they'll get a week's suspension." Cap responded, and Kat took a deep breath as she had a feeling what the last one was. "Third strike and your out, as with the other expulsions you will be welcomed back if you prove yourself worthy, but you can attest to how difficult that is Katrina." Cap added, and Kat nodded with a nervous gulp. "And no, these sessions won't count, they will just be a first session with the psychologist but starting next month, I'd watch what you say if I where you."

"Any other questions or was everything covered?" Iron Man asked, and the trainees kept their hands lowered. "Good, now we can start dividing you up."

*later*

The meeting with the psychologist assigned to her had gone smoothly enough with Kat doing her best to make a good first impression, the uncomfortable subjects such as her parents and some of her past actions were inevitably brought up but Kat managed to keep her cool throughout the meeting to the best of her abilities, following the meeting Cap sent her out on patrol on her own as Marco was still in his meeting but it also happened to be a relatively quiet day in New York City which resulted in Kat asking if she could call it a day early which Cap let her do.

" _Just my luck that all the criminals in the city are either in jail or too scared to commit crimes."_ Kat thought as she kicked off her shoes and lay down on the couch in front of the TV, the Chinese Girl reached for the remote and started channel surfing to pass the time. _"News, unless it's a Supervillain alert I'm not interested, hell I'd take a D-Lister like Chemistro if it meant me not being bored out of my mind, Robocop's on TV but it doesn't say if it's the original for 1987 or the remake from 2014, not like dad would let me watch either film."_ Kat thought before her train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door she would take to leave the house without going through the restaurant. _"I didn't order Dominos because I spent the rest of my money this morning, wonder who it is."_ Kat thought before standing up and going to answer the door.

One she opened the door she saw three familiar faces, namely Yuri, Ehsan and Marco standing there with serious looks on their faces. "It's time we sorted you out Kat!" Yuri said, and Kat blinked for a second before it hit her.

"Cap sent you guys to help me with my food situation?" Kat asked with a relieved grin and the three teens lightened up.

"You got it, even went down to a local butcher shop to make sure your stocked up!" Ehsan added as he held up several bags full of shopping. "Alongside other groceries."

"And I brought my pizza recipe." Marco added as he held up the piece of paper and Kat groaned.

"I think I've had enough pizza to last me a life-time, maybe two?" Kat responded before she stepped aside to let the three teens into the house, once they were inside Kat closed the door behind her. "Besides, you guys heard about what happened the last time he was left alone in a kitchen right?" Kat asked, and Yuri and Ehsan nodded.

"Yeah, Adriana and Claudia told us when they learned about our assignment." Yuri responded with a grin and Kat nodded. "Granted, teaching a fellow teenager how to cook was not something I thought I'd be doing when I first got my powers but after Cap relayed what you told Hawkeye yesterday, we jumped at the chance."

"That sounds like there was more than you guys being asked?" Kat pointed out and Ehsan nodded.

"Oh yeah, Cap basically asked everyone who he knew to be good cooks to help you out, as for Marco? Well he wasn't in the discussion originally but volunteered himself because he's your boyfriend and all." Ehsan responded before looking around. "Where's your kitchen?"

"Through here." Kat responded before leading them into the kitchen. "This place was originally owned by an old couple who never got around to modernizing their kitchen, but dad made sure that that was the first thing they did when they brought the home."

"Cool, shouldn't be too hard to work the stove then." Ehsan responded before putting the bags down on the counter, he spotted a picture of Kat and her parents on the beach when Kat was ten years old and picked it up. "This your dad here?" Ehsan asked, and Kat looked at the picture. "No offence but your parents look a little old to have an eighteen year old daughter."

"Not the first time I've heard that." Kat responded as she shook her head. "But yeah, that's him, that was taken on one of his rare days off work, as for your statement about my parents ages, they were both thirty two by the time mom gave birth to me." Kat added as Ehsan put the picture back on the fridge. "They had been trying for years but bad luck got in the way, mom said that the attempt to led to my birth was their last chance before they decided to adopt so my parents have been pretty protective of me since then."

"Sounds like your lucky to have them." Ehsan responded, and Kat nodded in agreement before Ehsan opened the fridge…and immediately held his nose in disgust. "Good god did something die in here?!"

"I haven't opened that fridge all week aside from getting a drink." Kat admitted as she held her nose. "So yeah, some things may have gone off?"

"May? Try definitely, good thing I thought to stop by that butchers, otherwise we'd be up shit creek without a paddle." Ehsan responded with a frown before he started gathering the expired meats. "You didn't think to check?"

"Between my diner visits and superhero duties, I haven't had a chance to check." Kat admitted with a shrug as Ehsan threw out the expired meats and replaced them with fresh stuff. "Anyone else coming?"

"The French guy who's name I forgot volunteered almost as quickly as Marco, he had to go out on patrol first, but Marco gave him the directions." Yuri responded as she looked through the cupboards using her powers. "Seriously, was this home built for giants?"

"I don't know about that, I'm pretty sure my mom's shorter than you Yuri." Kat responded with a grin as the Japanese girl started loading up the cupboard with fresh produce. "How much money did you guys spend exactly? Because I can pay you back."

"Kat, you've been living off diner food and Dominos since your mom was sent to the hospital." Yuri pointed out and Kat hesitated. "Do you even have any money left in your wallet?"

"Maybe?" Kat responded sheepishly before getting her wallet out and opening it, sure enough there was nothing inside it and Kat quickly pocketed the wallet. "I'll still pay you back with some of the money from my dad's life insurance."

"Kat don't worry about it, Iron Man gave us one of his credit cards and told us to tell you not to bother paying him back, his pocket change is probably worth more than the insurance policy." Ehsan assured her, and Kat laughed in response. "His words, not mine, though he did say to give back the credit card once Lin is out of the hospital."

"He also said that any attempts to buy video games, CDs or other stuff that he doesn't have time for will be declined by the company, if you don't believe me ask your boyfriend." Yuri added as she motioned to Marco. "He actually had the gall to say that he planned to buy a Brazzers Subscription with Tony's credit card whilst we were still in the same room as him, it was almost worth it to see the funny colors Cap was turning when he learned what Brazzers is."

"She says almost because I was this close this getting rid the Riot Act by Cap for the second time in my Superhero Career." Marco responded whilst using two of his fingers to illustrate the point. "I think I set a world record for fastest uttering of the phrase "just kidding"."

"Knowing you Marco, I'm not sure if you were just kidding." Kat deadpanned whilst Yuri and Ehsan finished stocking up. "Okay, now that we're done, what's for dinner tonight? And don't say pizza Marco." Kat added as she turned to her boyfriend.

"Dominos isn't even good pizza!" Marco responded before shaking his head. "Besides, if I was going to make the dough from scratch I'd need all day just to make it, cook it, rest it and get it ready for dinner, it's four o'clock now and I don't think you want a mid-night snack dinner." Marco added as he glanced up at the clock.

"Even then at least give me a couple of days before you start." Kat responded with a grin as she sat down at the kitchen table. "And make sure to wake me up first so that I don't have to risk a HAZMAT team coming in."

"One of these days, we're going to ask for the specifics of that story." Ehsan responded as he shook his head. "I met some really bad cooks in my time but nothing that required a visit from HAZMAT."

"I think we'd be here all day recounting the story." Marco responded as he rolled his eyes. "Okay, how about we start with something simple enough, steak and frits."

"Been a while since I've had a good steak." Kat nodded in agreement before Ehsan opened the fridge again to get four steaks out, one for each. "Pans, seasonings and other cooking stuff are in the cupboard by the oven."

"I got it." Yuri responded before she flew up to the cupboard and opened it, whilst she got the stuff out Kat heard another knock at the door. "That's probably the French trainee."

"You never learned his name?" Kat asked with a raised eyebrow and Yuri shrugged.

"It's pretty much the same situation we had when you came back, seen him around the training center but never had a chat with him." Yuri responded, and Kat nodded before she went to answer the door.

" _Hopefully he can cook better than Marco."_ Kat thought before answering the door, she was greeted by a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes who was around Marco's height who was muscular. "Err, hi, you're the other guy who volunteered to help right?"

"Oui, my name is Pierre." Pierre nodded in response and Kat stood aside to let him in. "Seen you around the training center but never got a chance to say hi, have Yuri, Ehsan and Marco arrived yet?"

"They arrived before you did, we're going to attempt to make steak and frits." Kat responded with a grin before leading the French man into the kitchen. "Please tell me you can cook better than Marco?"

"Oh, don't sorry, I won't be attracting the attention of Hazmat whilst I'm here." Pierre joked before looking at the steaks. "Good quality meat, excellent, this should be a fine meal."

"Good thing I grabbed enough steaks to last us the week." Ehsan responded as he grabbed another steak. "So, Kat, just so we can avoid patronizing you or anything, what basic skills do you have?"

"I'm pretty handy with a knife, otherwise my mom wouldn't let me help her in the restaurant." Kat responded with a confident grin on her face. "I know how to make a good sauce, its just the other stuff I struggle with."

"Good to know, you and Yuri can cook the steaks, chips and any sides you want, we'll deal with preparing the sides." Ehsan responded, and the two girls nodded before they got started. "Marco, just sit there and look pretty,"

"You know I could benefit from this cooking lesson as well, right?" Marco asked as he turned to Ehsan with an annoyed look on his face. "I've only had HAZMAT called once and nearly burnt down the family home twice, aside from that I haven't had any disasters in the kitchen."

"No offense Marco but I'm not about to explain to mom how the house got burned down whilst she was in hospital." Kat responded plainly before she and Yuri got started on the cook.

*some time later*

It was full of trial and error due to Kat's inexperience as a cook but in the end the five teenagers were able to put together five tasty plates of Steak and Frits and were now gathered around the TV in the lounge with Kat and Marco sharing the sofa, and the other teenagers sitting on the chairs, as for what they were watching.

"Wow, I heard about how brutal Murphy's death scene in Robocop was, but nothing could've prepared for that." Kat commented as the credits for the original version of Robocop played on the TV. "Definitely glad we watched that after dinner."

"Yeah, the gore would've put me off dinner, that's for sure." Yuri nodded in agreement before Ehsan grabbed the remote. "What's even worse is that there are people just as nasty as Bloodlicker and his gang out there."

"Yeah, but we're superheroes, I think its safe to say that we can take any gang like his." Kat responded with a shrug before shifting her weight. "Unless your talking about Supervillains like them."

"And there's one name that comes straight to mind in regard to that, Hellraiser." Ehsan responded, and the other teenagers shuddered in response. "Or do I need to remind you what happened that time we tried to take him on."

"What can I say, except we got lucky." Marco nodded in response before glancing up at Pierre. "So, Pierre, what's your story?"

"Well, I have no powers if that's what you mean." Pierre explained, and the teenagers gave him an odd look. "But what I do have is a genius level IQ and a talent for engineering and electronics, I decided to use my talents for good and built myself an armored suit not unlike Iron Man's and that caught Cap's attention, when I am in my identity I go by the name Legionnaire."

"As in the French Foreign Legion?" Marco asked, and Pierre nodded.

"Oui, and so far, it's been interesting, Tony has accused me of ripping him off half-jokingly, but it was just a coincidence." Pierre added with a shrug but before they could say anything else they heard a loud explosion coming from the restaurant. "Dinner service is over, yes?"

"Yeah, it ended three hours ago, the cooks should've left by now." Kat responded as she checked the time on her watch before frowning. "I don't like this, you guys have your costumes, right?"

"Yeah, brought them just in case." Yuri nodded in response as Kat stood up. "Where's the Dragon Girl costume?"

"In my room, where I left it after I came home." Kat responded before she sprinted out of the lounge. "Get changed into your costumes and meet me in the restaurant!" Kat added, and the other teens nodded before she sprinted up the stairs, once the teenagers got changed they headed straight to the restaurant and Kat opened the door.

And their worst fears had been confirmed, whilst there was no one killed the restaurant was a mess with several small fires having been started, and in the middle of it all was Hellraiser. "Heh, Drexo just sent me to send a message to the owner." Hellraiser said as he grinned sadistically. "But I guess I can kill five heroes as well!"


	24. Hell to Pay

It took Kat a few seconds for the scene before her to process in her mind, but once it did she, quite literally, flew into a rage as she flew towards Hellraiser and sent him flying out of the shop with a punch, the massive Supervillain growled as he got up to his feet and stared down the five heroes in front of him.

"Love to stay and fight." Hellraiser responded as he snapped his fingers and Kat heard the motorbike approaching fast. "But I have places to go and people to kill!"

"Not on my watch!" Kat responded before she ordered her wings to extract and flew right at Hellraiser tackling him through a building, Kat paid no attention to her surrounds as she pummeled away at Hellraiser which proved to be a bad idea as the motorbike slammed into her side causing her to roll off. "I don't care how many tricks you've got up your sleeve Hellraiser, I'm taking you down!"

"Don't make me laugh! You couldn't beat me with that lightning chick who turned evil at your side." Hellraiser responded before Kat spotted two familiar faces behind him. "What makes you think you can beat me on your own?"

"She's not on her own!" Ehsan's voice rang out and Hellraiser turned around just in time to see a giant rock fist slam into his face sending him flying across the room, Hellraiser went to get up only to get picked up by a strong gust of wind courtesy of Yuri. "And we're ready for round two!"

"Are you?" Hellraiser asked before snapping his fingers again and the motorbike, which he had been knocked off, sprung to life and he pointed it towards Yuri, however she saw it coming and dodged out of the way.

"Not falling for that again, Hellraiser!" Yuri scoffed as the bike impacted against a wall. "Try something new!"

"Yuri, maybe its just me but maybe giving the insane supervillain who seems to gain new powers every time I see him ideas isn't a good idea!" Ehsan whispered to the Japanese girl who laughed nervously.

"Too late for that!" Hellraiser interrupted him as he fired a rocket at the two heroes, Ehsan quickly summoned up a giant rock tablet to protect themselves but whilst the tablet protected them from the blast the shockwave sent them both flying back causing Yuri to lose concentration, Hellraiser landed on his feet and called over his bike. "I could kill you but you're not worth the trouble!" Hellraiser added before hopping on his bike and speeding off.

"Guys are you okay?" Kat asked as she flew over to them and they nodded.

"We're fine, whether or not we can catch up with him is another issue." Ehsan responded, and Yuri nodded in agreement. "You have the best chance of catching up with him, Mental Boy and Legionnaire went on ahead to try to figure out the path he's going to take."

"Get rested up the house, I'll keep you updated." Kat responded before turning towards the sound of Hellraiser's motorbike. "I've got a monster to bring down."

"Do you think we should tell Cap?" Yuri asked, and Kat glanced over at her. "We could use his help."

"No, he'd just tell me to stand down." Kat responded before she took off after Hellraiser.

*meanwhile*

Whilst that was going on in Chinatown things at the training grounds were proceeding as normal as Captain America sat in his office with Hawkeye.

"I only wish she had asked for help sooner." Captain America commented as he read through the patrol reports from the other trainees, "If her food situation was that dire, we would've been happy to help."

"What can I say? Teenage girls can be stubborn at the best of times." Hawkeye responded with a shrug as he sat down on the desk. "I should know, I have one of my own."

"Yes, and it didn't take Kate long to follow in your footsteps either." Captain America responded before the door opened and Wasp rushed in. "Can I help you Jan?"

"I'm not the one who needs help." Jan responded before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV behind Cap before she turned it to channel seven.

"In late breaking news, the Supervillain known as Hellraiser was spotted riding through Chinatown with the young heroes Dragon Girl, Mental Boy and Legionnaire in pursuit." The news reporter said from his helicopter as he flew over the action. "The pursuit seems to be tied to an explosion at the Chinese Restaurant known as Lin's which seems to have been caused by Hellraiser, we'll provide further updates as the pursuit continues."

"I could've sworn I told them to not go after Hellraiser the last time they did this!" Hawkeye responded with a face-palm as he watched the action. "Wait a minute, Lin's? isn't that the name of the restaurant Kat's mother owns?"

"That's the one, fortunately dinner service ended three hours ago so there shouldn't be any casualties." Cap nodded in response before putting a hand to his earpiece. "And I'm putting an end to this now."

*back with Kat*

" _Finally caught up with that bastard."_ Kat thought as she locked eyes with Hellraiser who was tearing through the streets on his motorbike. "Mental Boy, Legionnaire, do you guys copy?"

"Loud and clear." Marco responded getting a grin out of Kat. "Do you see him?"

"He's approaching the Financial Centre, if we can cut him off before he gets there, that'll be great." Kat responded as she flapped her wings to pick up the pace. "Any ideas?"

"I have one." Cap's voice rang out and Kat frowned. "Stand down Kat, you know you can't beat Hellraiser."

"Pardon my French Cap but go to hell!" Kat responded and whilst she couldn't see the other trainees, she could tell that their jaws where on the floor. "Hellraiser attacked my mom's restaurant, I'm not letting him get away!"

"I wasn't suggesting." Cap responded with a firm tone of voice. "Thor and Iron Man are on their way from Mid-Town, they can handle him, stand…"

"Oops, I just accidentally hung up on Cap!" Kat responded as she disconnected from Cap's line. "So, guys, any ideas?"

"…. Kat, did you seriously just tell CAPTAIN AMERICA to go to hell?!" Marco's disbelieving voice rang out as Kat flew through the city. "And hung up on him?!"

"Yeah, I did." Kat admitted as she lowered herself down to street level. "I'm not letting Hellraiser get away with what he did to my mom's restaurant!"

"Well, in that case, you're on your own." Marco responded, and Kat's jaw dropped. "We're heading back to the house, sorry Kat, I want to bring this guy to justice as much as you do but I'm not about to disobey Cap."

"What if Hellraiser goes after your family next Marco?!" Kat demanded as Hellraiser turned around to see her. "If he did the same thing to your house, what would you do?"

"I'd be pissed for sure, but not to the extent of telling Cap to go to hell!" Marco responded, and Kat frowned. "Maybe it's because I know I can't beat Hellraiser in a fight but maybe you should leave it to Thor and Iron Man!"

"If they want to help drag him to the Raft, fine, but if I have to face him alone, I will!" Kat responded before disconnecting from Marco's line and glaring at Hellraiser. "This is the end of the road Hellraiser!"

"Really? Funny, because there's plenty more road that I can see!" Hellraiser responded before spawning a chain from out of nowhere and throwing it at Kat causing it to wrap around her legs. "And I'm about to take you for a wild ride!"

"Oh, fuck my life…..." Kat muttered under her breath before Hellraiser sped off with the chain attached to the bike causing Kat to be dragged behind him, Kat grit her teeth as she endured the immense pain. _"Can't get a clear shot on the chain, otherwise I'd melt it with my fire breath, better think of something fast!"_

*back at the training grounds*

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how much is Kat regretting telling you to go to hell?" Hawkeye asked as they watched the news footage. "Or hanging up on you?!"

"I'll deal with Kat later, either at the hospital or after she's beaten Hellraiser, as unlikely as that seems." Cap responded before he got a call from Iron Man. "Cap here."

"So, judging by the news footage, I'm guessing Kat didn't listen to you." Iron Man commented as the three heroes watched the footage.

"She listened, and then told me to go to hell." Cap responded as he shook his head. "If she's still conscious by the time you get there, don't chew her out, leave that to me."

"Err, Cap, we have bigger problems." Wasp interrupted them, and Cap looked up just in time to see Hellraiser launch a rocket at the helicopter.

*back at the fight*

"Err, if my wife is watching this, please know that I love you very much!" The news reporter's panicked voice rang out as the rocket raced towards the helicopter. "And take care of the kids!"

" _My body hurts like hell, but I need to act quickly."_ Kat thought before gritting her teeth and, either through adrenaline or pure strength, took flight with Hellraiser's motorbike still attached to her legs.

"Ha-ha, that should take care of that nosy…" Hellraiser never finished his sentence as a sudden stop caused him to lunge forward, he looked up and realized that Kat had grabbed the missile and left him dangling upside down.

"Hey big red, you dropped something!" Kat responded before throwing the missile at Hellraiser causing a loud explosion that not only broke the chain but sent Hellraiser and his bike flying in opposite directions, Kat quickly removed the chain from around her legs and threw it at the ground before landing next to Hellraiser. "Give it up Hellraiser, I've got you beat!"

"In your dreams!" Hellraiser snapped before grabbing Kat by the throat as he stood up and stood with his massive hand around her neck. "No one's around to save you this time!"

"Who said I needed help?!" Kat responded before delivering a swift kick to Hellraiser's balls causing him to let go off the chokehold as he grabbed his crotch in pain, Kat took several deep breaths before she spotted Hellraiser snap his fingers before the bike came to life. _"Got to time this just right!"_ Kat thought as she closed her eyes.

"See you in hell!" Hellraiser responded before the bike sped towards Kat, however at the last second Kat flew up and did a backflip over the bike causing it to ram into Hellraiser pinning him down against the wall in a sitting position, the massive Supervillain tried to push the bike off him but to no avail.

"Looks like your ride's over, don't pass go, don't collect $200, go straight to jail." Kat added as she took several deep breaths before turning her back on Hellraiser. _"Now to call it in! let's hope Cap's going to answer."_

" _Damn it! I can't move my bike!"_ Hellraiser thought as he struggled to move his bike. _"But at least I can take out the Dragon Bitch!"_ Hellraiser thought before aiming the rocket launcher at Kat.

"Stand down villain!" Thor's voice rang out and Kat looked up just in time to see Thor's hammer collide against Hellraiser's face knocking him out, Kat turned around and saw Iron Man and Thor flying above her. "Katrina are you hurt?"

"Nothing I can't sleep off." Kat responded as the two older heroes landed next to her, however the look on Thor's face told her the whole story. "So, should I just go quit the internship now and save Cap the trouble of kicking me out in the morning?"

"I don't think Cap considers your insubordination to be that bad given the circumstances, that said get ready to hear the riot act from him tomorrow." Iron Man responded as police cars came in to take Hellraiser into custody. "For now, you'd better get home, and start working on your apology to Cap."

"Right." Kat sighed as she started to take off. "My mom's restaurant is a mess though."

"Don't worry about repairs, told Yuri to use the credit card to pay for it." Iron Man responded, and Kat grinned in response before she flew off.

*the next day at the training center*

Kat sat outside Cap's office the training center in her Dragon Girl costume minus her mask waiting to hear her fate, however she couldn't shake the feeling of de ja vue that she was experiencing as she waited.

" _This is just like when I got expelled originally."_ Kat thought as she glanced towards the office. _"But this isn't nearly as serious, okay yeah, my response could've been worded a lot better but thanks to me Hellraiser is in jail and an extremely dangerous Sypercriminal is off the streets."_ Kat thought before the door opened and Wasp stepped out. _"I just hope he sees it that way."_

"He's ready for you." Wasp said simply and Kat nodded before standing up. "For what it's worth, you did the right thing, just went the wrong way about it."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement." Kat thanked her before she entered the office and saw Cap on his own with a frown on his face, Kat said nothing before she took a seat.

"Katrina, when I first recruited you, it was because I saw something in you that I didn't see in a lot of people your age, the willingness to do what's right at the sake of your own safety." Cap started, and his tone of voice made Kat wince. "However, since then, you have let me down not once but twice, the first time resulted in your expulsion, start praying that your explanation is good enough for me to not do the same for you telling me to go to hell because I told you to stand down."

"I know, I really should've chosen my words better." Kat admitted as she lowered her head. "But on the other hand, how do you know Thor and Iron Man would've arrived on time."

"They can both fly and know the city a lot better than you do, that's how." Cap responded simply, and Kat shook her head.

"What about that reporter Hellraiser fired his rocket, arm thing at?" Kat pointed out and Cap remained silent. "If I had waited he would've died alongside that helicopter pilot and I'm pretty sure that I'd be in a lot worse shape from him dragging me around, by acting when I did I saved that reporter's life and turned the battle around in my favor."

"You still disobeyed a direct order and hung up on me." Cap responded with a firm tone and Kat folded her arms.

"And you know what? I'd do it again if it meant that a dangerous villain like Hellraiser was off the streets!" Kat asserted giving Cap pause. "Was my choice of words poor? Was it reckless to go after Hellraiser after how the last fight against him ended? Yes, but at the end of the day, I did what was right! If I had gone home and left it to Thor and Iron Man how many innocent lives would've been lost thanks to Hellraiser's rampage?! Thanks to my actions, there was no casualties and I helped put a dangerous criminal behind bars." Kat added before taking a deep breath. "I'm deeply sorry for telling you to go to hell and hanging up on you but aside from those two actions I stand by what I did last night."

Cap paused for several moments before he signed and passed over a piece of paper. "As of the end of this meeting, you are suspended, you will turn in your Dragon Girl costume and for the duration of the suspension, you are forbidden from Superheroics, that doesn't mean that you'll stop getting the cooking classes, but the other option was expulsion again and we both know that you don't want to go through that again." Cap added before his eyes narrowed. "But take that language with me again, no matter what the circumstances, and you will be asked to leave the internship with no possibility of being welcomed back, you are one of the best students here Kat, but I will not tolerate insubordination from the trainees, am I clear?"

"Crystal." Kat nodded in response before standing up. "You want me to leave the costume in my locker?" Kat asked, and Cap nodded.

"I'll make sure no one touches it." Cap responded, and Kat nodded. "The suspension is for a week, your mother should be out of the hospital by then, send her my regards."

"I will." Kat nodded simply before she left the office and saw Yuri, Ehsan and Marco standing there, she closed the door behind her and sighed. "I got suspended for a week, you guys are still free to help me become a decent cook."

"That's good to know, wouldn't want you feeling too bored." Yuri nodded in response with a grin on her face. "Still, I have to ask, what were you thinking exactly?!"

"Not sure if I was thinking, I was just so focused on bringing Hellraiser to justice." Kat responded with a sigh and the other teens nodded. "Any news on the repairs?"

"Should take until the weekend, we were lucky that Hellraiser's rocket only caused minor damage." Ehsan responded, and Kat grinned in response. "What do you say we head back to your house?"

"Sounds like a plan, just gotta drop off my costume at my locker and get changed into my civilian garb." Kat responded, and the teens nodded before they walked off.

*later*

Dinner service in the restaurant was continuing as normal but in the house it was day two of Kat's cooking classes, tonight Pierre couldn't make it so Adriana had stopped by to fill in the void.

"So, what is Adriana cooking in there?" Marco asked as he saw Kat emerge from the kitchen and enter the lounge. "Because it smells spicy."

"She's making spicy chicken tacos, authentic Mexican style." Kat responded with a shrug as she sat down on the couch. "She had me cut the habaneros, butcher the chicken and prepare the tortilla, she's handling the rest."

"I thought you said that you couldn't handle your spice?" Marco asked with a raised eyebrow and Kat shrugged.

"I mentioned that to her and she said that she'd tone down the spice for me, Ehsan and Yuri and working together on a desert of some kind." Kat responded with a shrug before noticing what Marco was looking up on his laptop. "Obituaries from the 80s? Are you sure you didn't mean to look up that Death Metal band?"

"I'm sure, I'm just working with a theory I've got about Target." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat raised an eyebrow. "The guy's gotta be in his late thirties-early forties, at least right? Well, my theory is that he's the son of one of the original Scourge victims."

"Most of them were in their twenties when the Scourge gunned them down, so it fits." Kat nodded in agreement before leaning back. "So, how are you narrowing it down? The original scourge organization killed forty two super criminals."

"Well, it wasn't easy, info on these guys is scarce as most of the older heroes barely remember them." Marco responded with a frown before he leaned forward. "I started with guys who would've been to old, Miracle Man, Hijacker, the Red Skull who worked for the Soviets, you get the idea, then I shifted my focus to guys who had no record of having a significant other, as it turned out, the counted for most of the guys killed in the Bar with No Name Massacre."

"Rapier, Hellrazor, Mirage, Jaguar, Shellshock, the second Bird Man, Cyclone, wait, there was a guy called Turner D. Century?!" Kat asked with a disbelieving look on her face. "And he fought Spider-Man and Spider-Woman?! Please tell me that's a Wikipedia edit?"

"I wish I could, and the name's not even the worst part." Marco responded as he shook his head with a laugh. "Commander Kraken, The Vamp, Steeplejack, Mind-Wave, Letha, Titania, Blowtorch Brand, Hammer and Anvil, all guys who had no record of having significant others, or in the case of Commander Kraken, little record of his real identity at all."

"So that leaves a few guys, the first Firebrand, Enforcer, Megatak, Hate Monger, The Ringer, Melter, Death Adder and the first Blue Streak." Kat responded as she leaned back, and Marco nodded. "Well, it's not like we can go ask those guys, most of them are still dead."

"Yeah and I joke about guys not staying dead in this business but most of the Scourge victims seem to be exceptions to the rule." Marco nodded in response before turning his attention back to the laptop. "Hate Monger I ruled out on account of being an android, last I checked, they don't have reproductive organs."

"I'm not going to ask how you checked that fact." Kat deadpanned in response and Marco shook his head. "What about the others?"

"Ringer was the only guy who was marred at the time of his death, then his widow became a villain, then he came back as a cyborg built by AIM, then he died again, yeah I know, it's convoluted." Marco responded upon seeing the confused look on Kat's face. "In fact we can rule most of these guys out on account that they are American whilst Target is British, either that or he's great at putting on a fake British accent, closest we're got is the French Cyclone who we're already ruled out and Mind-Wave who operated in Europe and America but no one's really sure where we was originally from, most people tend to focus on the fact that he was the one and only nemesis to Uri Gellar."

"Who?!" Kat asked with a confused look on her face.

"Some psychic who was apparently the Cris Angel of his time, helped Daredevil defeat Mind-Wave once." Marco shrugged his shoulders in response. "Apparently decided that the one time as a crime fighter was enough and retired, appeared on the Tonight Show once and it was…. interesting watching that interview on YouTube." Marco added before leaning back. "In other words, we're back to square one."

"Yeah, well, maybe watching some TV will take out minds off things." Kat commented before she reached over for the TV remote which was too the left of the laptop but at an awkward angle which meant Kat had to reach over Marco's lap to get it without getting up. "Wait, is that a Pornhub tab?!"

"What? No, it's…..there's no point in denying it, is there?" Marco asked before sighing as Kat, unaware of how close her face was to Marco's crotch, glared at the tab. "I'll go ahead and close it." Marco said before reaching over whilst putting his hand on Kat's head.

"Guys, dinner's ready!" Adriana commented as she walked around the couch, however what she was going to say next was completely lost on her when she saw the scene before her. "Though if Kat wants a light snack before dinner, better make it quick."

"That wasn't what it looked like! I swear!" Kat quickly asserted once she pulled her head back with a furious blush on her face. "It started when we and Marco were surfing the Internet together, then I saw a Pornhub tab…"

"And what do you mean by "light snack"!?" Marco demanded, and the Mexican girl laughed before she left the room. "How about we go eat dinner before we dig ourselves deeper?"

"Sounds good." Kat nodded in agreement before they left the room.

*later*

After a tasty meal (which didn't prove too spicy for Kat much to her relief) the five teens sat down to watch some TV, however after they found out that there wasn't much on TV that night aside from reruns and news they decided to do something else to pass the time.

"Truth or Dare? Really?" Kat asked with a bewildered look on her face as she sat down in the circle with the other teens. "And spin the bottle as well, what are we? Twelve?"

"Well, since someone forgot to bring a games console over we have to make do." Ehsan responded as he glanced over at Yuri who grinned sheepishly. "Okay, how about some ground rules first?"

"I can think of one right off the bat, no daring anyone into sexual activity." Marco chimed in and the other teens quickly nodded in agreement. "Last I checked, this isn't a porno and it could get messy down the line if at least one of the girls ends up pregnant."

"Yeah, I'm not about to explain to my parents how I got pregnant at sixteen so we're in agreement there." Adriana quickly nodded in agreement before thinking of another rule. "If a truth or dare proves too uncomfortable for you to answer or do you can pass on it."

"Good call, this is supposed to be fun, not depressing." Yuri nodded in agreement before leaning forward. "Anyone mind if I go first?" Yuri asked, and the other teens shrugged before Yuri span the bottle, after a few seconds it landed on Kat who groaned. "Okay Kat, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Kat responded, and Yuri thought for a moment.

"Hardest battle as a Superhero that you've won?" Yuri asked, and Kat laughed.

"Wow, we're really jumping in the deep end, aren't we?" Kat asked with a grin before thinking for a moment. "I guess I'd have to say my battle with Hellraiser yesterday, it was the first time I couldn't just rely on my brawn to see me through a fight."

"I don't know Kat, didn't you basically play cat and mouse with Rhino the two times you fought him?" Marco pointed out and Kat shrugged.

"Yeah but the first one doesn't count because we technically lost that fight and that was before we had our costumed identities." Kat pointed out and Marco nodded in response. "Second time? Me and Spider-Man were basically pinballing him between the two of us and I still knocked him out with the spin dash." Kat added before spinning the bottle again and this time it stopped on Ehsan. "Okay Ehsan, truth or dare?"

"Dare, do your worst." Ehsan responded with a grin and Kat grinned broadly as Marco took a sip from his drink.

"Dare you to French kiss Marco." Kat said almost immediately, and the other girls giggled as Marco nearly spat out his drink. "My revenge for that time you requested footage of Jessica kissing me."

"Well, unfortunately Kat, I'll have to pass." Ehsan responded as he put his hands up and Marco breathed a massive sigh of relief. "Nothing against Marco and certainly nothing against gay people but I'm straight and I don't see that changing."

"Spoil sport." Kat pouted jokingly before thinking of another one. "Dare you to drink a whole glass of that hot sauce Adriana brought over in one gulp."

"Can't believe I'm saying this but is it too late to kiss Marco?" Ehsan asked, and Kat quickly nodded in response before he stood up and went to the kitchen, a few moments later Ehsan emerged from the kitchen with a glass of hot sauce in his hand. "You do have something to cool down my mouth once I'm done, right?"

"Yeah, I think I saw a fire extinguisher in the hall." Adriana joked, and Ehsan groaned before downing the glass in one gulp, a few seconds later Ehsan was rushing over to the kitchen sink and drinking directly out of the tap to try to cool down his mouth. "Whilst we wait for him, mind if I take charge?"

"Go for it." Yuri shrugged her shoulders and Adriana span the bottle, by the time Ehsan returned from the kitchen it had landed on Marco, "Adriana span the bottle for you whilst you were cooling down your mouth, feel free to ask Marco."

"Okay, but I do know how Kat feels whenever she breathes fire." Ehsan joked before sitting back down. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Marco responded, and Ehsan nodded.

"Grossest porn you've ever seen." Ehsan responded almost immediately, and Marco paused for a moment to think of an answer. "I am really happy we ate dinner before playing this game, but I am concerned that it's taking you this long to answer."

"Hey, when it comes to porn I just stick to the normal stuff." Marco responded defensively as he put his hands up. "Okay, I'd have to say Hungry Bitches, it's the Brazilian Scat Porno that spawned 2 Girls 1 Cup."

"You watched that?!" Kat asked with a disgusted look on her face. "Now I feel the need to go wash my mouth out with soap for the rest of the night!"

"I only watched it once, on a dare, appropriately enough, back when I was a freshman in High School." Marco defended himself as the others made gagging noises. "That thing was nearly enough to turn me off lesbian porn, I swear to god!" Marco added before spinning the bottle again, after a few seconds it stopped on Adriana. "Okay, truth or dare."

"Dare, and if it's to go watch 2 Girls 1 Cup you have to watch it with me." Adriana responded, and Marco frowned.

"Dare you to battle your next Supervillain blindfolded." Marco responded, and Adriana immediately put her hands up.

"Pass, too much of a risk of injury and that could be weeks from now." Adriana responded, and Marco thought for a moment.

"Truth then, have you ever kissed another girl?" Marco asked, and Adriana laughed.

"I haven't even had my first kiss yet, let alone with another girl." Adriana responded before spinning the bottle, after a few seconds it stopped on Yuri. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Yuri responded, and Adriana grinned.

"Ever watched hentai?" Adriana asked, and Yuri quickly turned a deep red.

"What? Just because I'm Japanese makes you think I watch Anime?" Yuri asked whilst trying desperately to hide her embarrassment. "Yeah, I have, regularly actually, mostly to laugh at how ridiculous the anatomies of the female characters are on those shows."

"That's what they all say." Adriana responded with a cheeky grin and Yuri shook her head. "Okay, it's getting late, one last spin and we'll head home."

"Sounds good." Yuri nodded in agreement as she glanced up at the clock, she span the bottle and after a few seconds it stopped on Kat. "We started with Kat and now we're ending with her, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Kat responded, and Yuri thought for a moment.

"If you could change one thing about your powers, what would it be?" Yuri asked, and it didn't take Kat long to come up with an answer.

"Get rid of my wings, sure, they increase my flying speed and have been a great help but as far as a normal life is concerned? It's limited my opportunities." Kat admitted as she glanced at her wings. "Had dreams of being an Olympic athlete after college but once the wings sprouted I knew those dreams where over."

"Yeah, that is pretty rough." Yuri nodded with a wince. "But they don't mean you can't have a normal life, you just got to get creative."

"Says the girl who can control wind and looks normal." Kat sighed as she and the other teens stood up and Kat grabbed the bottle. "Anyway, what time will you guys be over tomorrow?"

"Depends on our patrol schedules but we should be here around early afternoon, I know I can't make it because me and Claudia are going out for a meal with our parents but finding someone else shouldn't be too hard." Adriana responded as she straightened up her clothing. "By the way, how is your mom doing?"

"Last I heard from the hospital she was doing great." Kat responded with a small grin on her face. "With any luck she'll be back home by Sunday night."

"Hope she gets better." Ehsan nodded in agreement before he and the other teens walked off, Kat and Marco shared a kiss before he went to leave the house.

"I'll try to remind Yuri to bring a games console tomorrow, she's got a variable treasure trove of classic game consoles in her room and they are all in working condition to boot." Marco added, and Kat grinned in response. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Kat grinned as Marco walked off. _"As fun as this week has been, I can't wait for mom to get out of hospital, hasn't been the same without her."_ Kat thought before sighing as she went up to her room. _"But on the other hand, I guess this is good practice for when I get a place of my own."_


	25. Under Siege

The week had gone by quickly for Kat and soon enough it was the day before Lin was set to come home from the hospital, even so Kat couldn't help but pay her a visit on the second to last day of her hospital visit and it wasn't long until Kat was in her mother's hospital room.

"It's good to see you Katrina." Lin commented as her teenaged daughter made herself comfortable next to her bed and Kat grinned. "I suppose you've heard the good news."

"That your being let out tomorrow." Kat nodded in response. "Don't get me wrong, it's been interesting having the house to myself, but it hasn't been the same without you or dad around." Kat added before sighing sadly as she lowered her head.

"Don't worry, I understand." Lin assured her, and Kat grinned in response. "And the life insurance policy will make things easier, though I trust that you've looked after your money whilst I was in hospital." Lin added, and Kat winced.

" _Oh crap, I never even thought about that."_ Kat thought before she took a moment to consider what her next words should be. "Err, yeah, I've been managing things all right, I've got plenty of money in my wallet."

"Katrina, I know your lying." Lin responded, and Kat lowered her head again. "You were never good at lying, always to honest."

" _I'm not sure if I should take that as a complement or not."_ Kat thought before sighing. "I haven't been managing my money well, at all, I thought I could get by during the first couple of days using what you taught me whenever I helped you on the line, but I couldn't, hell I managed to screw up a bacon sandwich for crying out loud! Eventually I resorted to going to a diner for breakfast and ordering Dominos for dinner, but I underestimated just how much that would eat through my money, no pun intended."

"Katrina, you should've said something earlier." Lin responded with a frown and Kat lowered her head again. "How long did your finances last?"

"Not even until the middle of the week, thankfully by then Hawkeye had found me at the diner and I admitted what I just told you, Cap then arranged it, so I would get cooking lessons from the other trainees, mostly Marco, Yuri, Ehsan and a rotating fifth member." Kat responded with a sad sigh and Lin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised Marco was even in that conversation, I still remember when he got a HAZMAT Team sent to Woodstock." Lin commented, and Kat grinned sheepishly.

"He wasn't but he insisted on the basis that I'm his girlfriend and all." Kat explained, and Lin nodded in agreement. "Don't take this the wrong way but I've learned so many cooking skills during your hospital stay that it almost made it worth it, and it was good practice for when I get a place of my own."

"Especially when you and Marco move in together, last thing we need is him causing an epidemic." Lin joked getting a laugh out of Kat. "Sounds like you've inherited my passion for cooking, maybe that'll be what you do at college when your older."

"Yeah, maybe, except that all the college scholarships I had were for athletics and we both know why that's gone out the window." Kat responded as she glanced at her wings and Lin put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that for now, I have a feeling that the windfall you'll get from Howard's insurance will cover it and failing that, you could always get a student loan." Lin assured her, and Kat nodded in response. "And don't worry about your money situation either, I'll cover it."

"Are you sure mom? I mean, you've still got hospital bills to pay and I wouldn't want to burden you further." Kat asked, and Lin shook her head.

"You have never been a burden to me Katrina, you've always been my little angel, as much as you used to hate that nickname." Lin reassured her, and Kat grinned before the door to the hospital room opened.

"Sorry to interrupt your time with your daughter Mrs. Lao." The doctor apologized as he walked in. "But visiting time is over, we need to get you prepped for your discharge tomorrow morning as well."

"Off course." Lin nodded in understanding as Kat stood up. "Katrina, please watch yourself out there."

"I'll try mom." Kat responded with a grin before the doctor stepped aside to let her past, as she walked out of the hospital Kat couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. _"Tonight, it's Ehsan, Yuri, Marco and Claudia helping me out, hopefully they won't have to wait too long for me to return home."_ Kat thought before spotting a taxi driving by the front entrance to the hospital, she instinctively went to hail it but stopped when she remembered about her money situation. _"Screw it, I'll walk, it's not that far and I need to walk off some of the meals I've had this week anyway, this would be so much easier if I was allowed to go out as Dragon Girl!"_ Kat thought before she walked away from the hospital.

*later*

It had taken Kat an hour to return home from the hospital, but she had texted Marco to let him know that she would be visiting her mom at the hospital and might be late getting back, sure enough by the time she got to the house she saw Yuri, Ehsan and Marco waiting for her by the entrance.

"Guessing Marco told you why I was late?" Kat asked once she approached the three teens and Ehsan and Yuri nodded. "Would've gotten here sooner but you know, financial difficulties and me not being able to use my powers limited my options."

"Don't worry about it, we literally arrived just a few minutes ago," Yuri assured her, and Kat grinned before she started to unlock the door. "So how is your mom?"

"She's better than she was when I saw her after she got shot but I think that goes without saying." Kat responded with a shrug as she unlocked the door. "She was in good spirits at least and she should be discharged by tomorrow morning based on what the doctor told me before I left."

"Any idea what time tomorrow morning?" Ehsan asked, and Kat shrugged her shoulders as she opened the door and held it open for the other teens.

"He didn't say, I think I'll aim to get there as early as possible just in case." Kat added as the other teens entered the room and she followed them in before closing the door behind her and locking the door. "Would be a lot easier if it weren't for my suspension."

"Don't worry about it babe, I'll drive you." Marco assured her, and Kat hesitated for a second before grinning. "You took her to Mercy General, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Kat responded with a nod before shaking her head. "So, what's on the menu tonight?"

"Well, it's the last night before your mom comes home so we decided to do something special." Ehsan responded before leaning against the wall. "You ever watch Man vs. Food?"

"I did, stopped after a while because mom wanted me to focus on healthy eating and that program was getting me to seek out the pig out spots on the Internet." Kat responded with a sheepish grin as she turned to Ehsan. "So, that's the plan? A man vs. food challenge?"

"Well, more like teenagers vs. food since there's going to be three girls and three boys here, Pierre and Adriana are coming over as well." Yuri explained, and Kat nodded in understanding. "And we're not going to do a burger that's as tall as Ehsan before you ask."

"For one thing, I don't think there's enough meat in New York for a burger to be that high, even if we use different meats like Venison, lamb and veal." Ehsan responded getting a laugh out of Kat. "What we're doing instead is a big family style feast, and your going to help us make it."

"If you had told me that when these lessons began I think I would've had a panic attack." Kat responded with a grin before glancing towards the kitchen. "So, what? Are we going to do our respective cultures proud by having them represented in the feast?"

"Well, if we had an Italian who could cook then yeah, we would." Marco admitted with a sheepish grin. "And again, I don't have enough time to prepare pizza but I'm sure it'll be great without the Italian presence."

"We're going to have to have a food intervention for you next Marco." Kat commented, and the other teens nodded in agreement. "Especially if we move in together, seriously, what if I get injured during a Supervillain battle?"

"Well, I was going to say, "repeat your mistakes" but I know Dominos doesn't make good pizza and I'm pretty sure my money won't last as long as yours did, plus I'm pretty sure I'm close to pissing off my super strong girlfriend." Marco responded with a nervous gulp as Kat gave him a mock glare. "Let's get cooking."

"Sounds like a plan." Kat nodded in agreement before she followed Ehsan and Yuri into the kitchen.

*meanwhile outside*

Whilst the four teens where cooking dinner in Kat's home something else was happening outside the house, and it wasn't going to be good for Kat.

"This is gonna be the easiest burglary ever." The leader of the three thugs, two men and a woman, said as they cased the joint from inside a car. "Nothing but a teenaged girl to stand between us and their valuables."

"I don't know Zach those other three kids have been coming and going regularly." The woman responded with a frown as she leaned back, she had shoulder length red hair and blue eyes with her hair in a high ponytail and was good looking, though her ponytail was messy, and she looked unkempt. "If they stick around for a sleep over or something, they could be a problem?"

"What? Four teens have you worried Chelsea?" The leader asked, the two men both had short hair, though the leader had black hair and blue eyes whilst the other thug had blonde hair and green eyes. "If they concern you this much, maybe we should wait until they leave."

"I don't care, as long as I get money to pay for my drug habit." The other man shrugged his shoulders and the other thugs nodded.

*later*

Cooking the feast had taken the six teens three hours in total, mostly because they spent a lot of time fighting for space on the cooker but also because some of their dishes took that long to cook but in the end they all enjoyed a delicious meal, as for what they were doing now.

"Oh, come on! That proximity mine was bullshit and you know it!" Marco protested as he, Yuri, Ehsan, and Adriana played Goldeneye multiplayer on Yuri's N64 which she had brought with her whilst Pierre and Kat looked on. "How was I supposed to know that was there?!"

"This, coming from the guy playing as Oddjob?" Yuri responded as she rolled her eyes. "You can consider that revenge for you chopping me to death in the last game!"

"It's a legitimate strategy!" Marco asserted, and the other teens rolled their eyes, aside from Kat who wasn't much of a gamer. "I'll get you back for that! Just watch!"

"How? By singing?" Yuri joked, and Marco grinned before doing some vocal warm-ups. "Jesus Christ, I was kidding!"

"I know." Marco responded before he resumed playing. "You sure you don't want to join in Kat?"

"You know I've never been much of a gamer." Kat responded as she shook her head. "Was a lot more interested in athletics growing up, I'm just content to sit here and watch."

"And if you and Yuri where from the same country, I'd be making jokes about a Japanese person not being interested in gaming." Marco responded causing the two Asian girls to give him mock death glares. "Besides, Ehsan's in the same boat as you and he's having a blast!"

"In a second, you'll see just how literal that is." Ehsan responded coolly, and Marco blinked before his character got blown up by a proximity mine. "Are you sure your good at this game?"

"Good thing we left the earpieces off, or in Kat's case got hers confiscated, because I'd hate to think of what Cap would think if he heard our banter." Yuri commented with a grin and the other teens nodded in agreement. "Kat, do you have the time?" Yuri asked once the game ended and Kat checked the time on her phone.

"Just gone twenty to ten." Kat responded before pocketing her phone. "Why? Do you need to be back home?"

"That's the thing, my house is being fumigated for bugs and for obvious reasons I can't be there, only reason I was able to get my N64 out was because I left for patrol/helping you cook earlier than I usually do." Yuri explained, and Kat nodded in understanding. "My parents are staying at a hotel, but they gave me a choice, stay with them or a friend."

"You couldn't ask me sooner?" Kat asked with an annoyed look on her face.

"Yeah sorry, I completely forgot." Yuri apologized sincerely, and Kat nodded.

"Well, you've been helping me out a lot this past week so it's the least I can do." Kat responded before the other teens turned to her. "Don't tell me, you guys have exterminators round as well?"

"Nothing that simple, my parents are out on a business trip, don't want to get lonely you know?" Ehsan asked, and Kat went to answer when Marco interrupted.

"And my dad's out of town this weekend and Sophia's staying with her girlfriend." Marco added, and Kat ran a hand down her face.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this was an excuse for a sleep over." Kat responded, and the other teens grinned. "There's only one spare room and I'm going to assume that Marco has called dibs on sleeping with me…...err, I mean sharing my room?"

"Pretty much." Marco responded, and Kat nodded.

"Okay, how about this, one last game of Goldeneye, winner gets spare room, loser sleeps on couch and the runners up get a choice of where they sleep?" Yuri offered, and the other teens nodded before Marco stood up and went over to the couch. "For obvious reasons Marco's sitting this one out."

"I was getting tired of kicking your asses anyway." Marco responded, and Yuri laughed.

"Don't you mean "getting blown up by proximity mines"?" Yuri asked, and Marco refused to answer her question. "How about some house rules before we get started? For starters, no Oddjob!"

"Agreed." The three other teens agreed with Yuri and she grinned.

"And because lover boy keeps complaining about it, no proximity mines." Ehsan chimed in and the other teens nodded in agreement. "Oh and no Golden Gun, or do I need to remind you of that game where Marco found it first and went on a killing spree until he was the last one standing."

"Err, before we continue, the earpieces are off right?" Kat chimed in and the other teens nodded. "Both channels?" Kat added, and they nodded again. "Good, continue!"

"I think we're in agreement on the Golden Gun." Yuri responded with a nod before they turned their attention to the TV. "May the best girl with streaked hair win!"

"That's unfair for two reasons!" Ehsan protested but his protests fell on deaf ears as the game started.

*later that night*

In the end, Yuri won the game and got to sleep in the spare room whilst Ehsan slept on the couch, this left Adriana and Pierre to pick their own sleep spots and they chose the seats in the lounge as Kat had declared her parent's room off limits.

" _Por el armor de Dios, if I had known that the boys snored this much I would've slept somewhere else!"_ Adriana thought with a groan as she tried, in vain, to use the pillow to drown out the noise coming from Ehsan and Pierre's mouths. _"Screw it, if I don't go to bed soon I'm going upstairs and sleeping in Kat's parents' bedroom, pretty sure she's too busy banging Marco to even care at this point! I wonder if this why papa doesn't want me and Claudia dating boys yet?"_

"Okay, we're in!" Chelsea's voice rang out and Adriana looked up to see the three thugs enter through the window. "Looks like the brats are asleep, this should be easy pickings."

" _Oh, this is just perfect."_ Adriana thought before turning her earpiece on. "Marco are you awake?"

"Barely, tried to get in some action with Kat but she isn't in the mood, what wither mom coming out of the hospital tomorrow morning." Marco explained, and Adriana nodded. "What's up?"

"You'll never believe this but three thugs, two guys and a girl, just broke in." Adriana responded as she glanced at the three thugs. "I'm going to wake up the boys down here, see if you can wake up the girls."

"…seriously? Three thugs chose tonight to break in?!" Marco asked with an amused tone of voice. "Kat's already awake, I woke her up by talking to you via the earpiece, you got any ideas, I'll send her to the spare room to wake up Yuri."

"Try not to hurt them too much, just put the fear of god in them." Adriana responded, and Marco nodded before hanging up, once that was done she went over to Ehsan quietly. "Ehsan wake up." Adriana whispered as she shook the much taller boy awake.

"Huh? What? No She-Hulk, the sexy schoolgirl outfit was meant for Black Widow and the dominatrix outfit was meant for you." Ehsan responded in a way to made Adriana thankful that the earpieces where off. "But you two can definitely help each other out of those outfits."

" _Note to self, tell She-Hulk that Earthshaker has wet dreams involving her and Black Widow and tape her reaction."_ Adriana thought before shaking Ehsan again. "Last I checked, I hadn't turned green, put on a crap ton of muscle or was wearing a sexy schoolgirl outfit, wake up before I turn on your earpiece."

"I'm awake!" Ehsan responded as he quickly sat up. "What's up Adriana?"

"We've got company." Adriana said as she motioned to Chelsea who was coming into the lounge. "And there's two other male thugs."

"That's enough out of you." Chelsea interrupted them as she pulled a gun and Adriana sent her flying with a white beam of light. "What the…"

"You idiots chose the wrong house to break into." Adriana responded as she summoned a white light shield and pinned Chelsea down with it. "Where are your buddies?"

"Upstairs." Chelsea groaned as Pierre started to wake up.

"Guys keep an eye on her." Adriana said as she turned to the two boys. "I'm off to see if the guys upstairs need any help." Adriana added before rushing upstairs.

*meanwhile upstairs*

"Nothing in that room but a bunch of worthless trophies." Zach grumbled under his breath as he emerged from Kat's room not realizing that Kat had just emerged from the spare room having just woken up Yuri. "There was a boy in there, but I left him alone, then again that seemed more like a girl's room than a boy's room so who knows?"

"Worthless?!" Kat protested as she marched out of the spare room. "I earned those trophies!"

"What? Through participation awards…." Zach never finished his sentence as Kat kicked him in the balls causing him to drop to his knees before being poked over by Kat.

" _Cap may have barred me from Super heroics, but I don't think he'll mind me defending my home."_ Kat thought before spotting the last thug who had just emerged from her parents' bedroom with a sack. "So, what have you got there?"

"Mind your own…" The last thug never finished his sentence as Yuri summoned up a strong gust of wing to suspend him in mid air causing him to drop the sack, Kat dived and caught the sack in the nick of time before checking the contents.

" _Mom's jewelry and money, good thing I saved this."_ Kat thought before glancing up and seeing Adriana come up the stairs. "We've got this in hand."

"So, I see." Adriana nodded in acknowledgement. "Their accomplice is downstairs, what do you want to do with them?"

"Leave it until morning, you guys drop these idiots off at the station whilst I go pick up mom." Kat responded, and Adriana nodded before the three girls dragged the men downstairs.

*the next morning*

It would've been a typical morning at the NYPD precinct, but then three would be burglars got dropped off by Silent Tempest with a note explaining what had happened the previous night.

" _This is like something off of America's Dumbest Criminals, I was under the impression that it was well known that Katrina is a mutant."_ Jenny thought as she read through the report repeatedly, the captain had already seen the report and had been laughing his head off all morning about it. _"Well, those guys were wanted for a string of robberies so at least they made it easier for us last night."_ Jenny thought before Malcolm walked over reading a newspaper. "I wasn't aware that people still read newspapers?"

"I mostly read them for the sports." Malcolm admitted as he sat down opposite his partner having been selected as Jenny's partner in the wake of Howard's death. "But a news story has caught my eye, the Great Phantasmo is coming to New York City."

"Who?!" Jenny asked with a confused look on her face. "He sounds like a magician but still, who?"

"That's the weird part, he claims to be the most powerful psychic on Earth, yeah, you heard me." Malcolm responded after seeing the skeptical look on Jenny's face. "Never mind people like Professor X, jean Gray and numerous other psychic heroes, this guy's the real deal! And he's claiming that he can mentally break any Superhero."

"Wait, what?!" Jenny asked as the look on her face turned to one of concern. "Why hasn't he been arrested by now? Do I need to remind you that Lao's daughter is a Superhero?"

"Unfortunately, he's just been blowing hot air up and down the country, but he says that he's going to prove it when he gets to New York." Malcolm added, and Jenny shook her head. "And off course, he hasn't named any specific hero."

"Yeah, god forbid a hero confronts him about it, can I see his picture?" Jenny asked, and Malcolm nodded before passing the newspaper over. "This is the Great Phantasmo?!" Jenny asked with a laugh as she looked at the picture showing a short, middle aged balding man with brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. "He looks like an accountant, not a powerful psychic!"

"Yet another reason why I think he's full of it." Malcolm admitted with a shrug. "So, who wants to interrogate the three stooges first?"

"I'll take the woman, you take one of the guys." Jenny responded before they walked off.

*back at Kat's home*

Once Yuri returned from the NYPD and gotten changed out of the Silent Tempest costume Kat met with the other teens in the lounge just before she got ready to head to the hospital to pick up her mom.

"I know I've said this plenty of times this past week." Kat admitted with a sheepish grin once the other teens had gathered in the lounge. "But I can't thank you guys enough for your help this past week, I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't admitted to needing help when I met up with Hawkeye last week."

"Hey, don't worry about it, it's what friends are for right?" Yuri assured her, and Kat grinned broadly in response. "As for Marco, he may have just spent this past week standing around and looking pretty, but I think we need to do a food intervention on him next."

"I'll send you a text if dad's ever out of town for a week." Marco responded with a small grin on his face. "As for my sister, I think she'd just watch from the sidelines with a bag of popcorn in hand, when she isn't checking Kat or Yuri that is."

"I'm sure we can persuade her to help out as well." Ehsan responded with a grin and Marco nodded in agreement. "That said, this week may have been about teaching you how to cook but maybe we should come around more often when we're done on patrol and at the training center."

"I'd definitely appreciate the company, mom spends most the evening running dinner service and since dad died, i think it goes without saying that things can get lonely around here." Kat added with a small grin before frowning. "That just leaves me to pick up mom from the hospital."

"Don't worry Kat, I'll drive you." Marco assured her, and Kat grinned broadly. "My car's parked out front anyway."

"Perfect, let's go." Kat responded before turning to the others. "I think mom will want to thank you guys personally for the help so if you want to kill time on Goldeneye, go ahead."

"I was just about to suggest that, I need to avenge my loss from last night." Ehsan admitted as he glanced at Yuri who grinned.

"In your dreams!" Yuri responded with a grin and the other teens laughed before Marco and Kat left.

*twenty minutes later*

Unusually for New York traffic it had been a quiet Monday morning which Marco put down too it being early in the morning, so they were able to reach Mercy General in good time, when they got there Kat grinned broadly as she saw her mom leaving the hospital and got out of the car to greet her.

"Morning mom." Kat greeted her with a broad grin as Lin approached Marco's car. "I've done my best to keep the house tidy whilst you were away."

"I'm sure you have." Lin nodded in appreciation before spotting Marco behind the wheel. "I hope his driving skills are better than his cooking skills."

"Mom, you do realize how low that bar is, right?" Kat asked with a grin getting a chuckle out of Lin.

"And you ladies realize that I can hear you, right?" Marco chimed in as he leaned his head out and the two Chinese women gave him knowing looks. "Besides, aside from the carjacking incident and that time I had a gun pulled on me I don't think I've had much trouble with me behind the wheel."

"Do you really want to temp fate?" Kat asked with a grin before holding the passenger side door open for Lin who got in. "I'll get in the back behind Marco."

"I would make a sex joke but I'm in the same car as my girlfriend's mom." Marco responded before he drove off.


	26. Powers and a Show

It had been a few days since Lin was discharged from the hospital and since she was still recovering from the gunshot wound Kat had taken over the cooking when it came to family meals, something she would've felt a lot more nervous about it weren't for the cooking lessons she had the week before and now that her suspension was over she was also able to go out on patrol as Dragon Girl.

"Ugh, five more minutes, please!" Kat groaned as her sleep was interrupted by the alarm clock and without looking up Kat reached over to her bedside table and went to smack the alarm clock, when she did however she noticed something different next to the alarm clock and looked up. _"An envelope? What?"_ Kat thought as she saw the envelope next to the alarm clock, she rubbed her tired eyes after turning off the alarm clock and picked up the envelope. _"My names on the front and that's my mom's handwriting, wonder what this is about?"_ Kat thought before opening the envelope.

Inside was money, a lot of it, Kat did a quick count and her jaw dropped once she was finished counting the money before she set it down back on the bedside table and got dressed quickly, by the time she had her crop top on there was a knock on the door. "Katrina are you decent?" Lin's voice rang out and Kat quickly tossed her pajamas into the laundry bin.

"Yeah, literally just got dressed." Kat called out before she walked over to the door and grabbed the envelope, once she opened the door she went to give the money back. "Mom, I can't accept this."

"You can, and you will." Lin responded as she pushed the envelope back towards her daughter. "After the excellent job you and your friends did of maintaining the house and you spent all your money, it's the least I can do."

"But you've got hospital bills to pay…" Kat added, and Lin stopped her mid-sentence.

"Already paid for, in fact I would've given you more if it weren't for those hospital bills." Lin assured her, and it took Kat a moment for it to sink in. "I understand your concern but after how difficult last week was, you need to treat yourself, there's five hundred dollars in there, don't spend it all at once." Lin added, and Kat grinned in response before taking the money of the envelope and putting it in her wallet. "Besides, you've still got that trust fund."

"Yeah, kinda hard to forget." Kat responded as she pocketed her wallet, the insurance settlement from Howard's life-insurance policy came out to half a million for both women, half for Lin to make sure she was looked after and the other half to go in a trust fund for Kat which would be accessed on her twenty first birthday and insure that she would go to a good college whilst still having money left over. "Thanks mom, words can't describe how much I appreciate this."

"Just as long as your happy, that's all the thanks I need." Lin assured her, and Kat grinned in response. "I felt well enough to cook up a breakfast for both of us."

"Great, as much as my cooking's improved, I have missed your cooking." Kat responded with a grin before following her mother to the kitchen.

*later*

Following breakfast Katrina left the family home on foot with her phone out, it was a typically busy day in New York, so Kat was constantly struggling to keep the phone in her hands.

" _I knew I should've left in the Dragon Girl costume."_ Kat thought as she walked through the streets of New York, eventually she decided she had enough and ducked into an alleyway before going further into it, however she was so focused on the text message that she didn't see the tall, disheveled man at the other end of the alley approaching her. _"Marco, I know it's early, but you want to want to meet up soon? Got some exciting news."_ Kat read the text in her mind before hitting the send button and pocketing the phone. _"Would've been a lot easier if I had gone out in the Dragon Girl costume and just kept my wallet with my street clothes in my backpack, well, at least it can't…..."_

"Give me all your money lady and you won't get hurt!" The man demanded as he pulled a gun on her and Kat frowned.

" _Would be so easy to send him flying to the other side of the alley but I haven't tested my Super Toughness against bullets, nor am I in a hurry to do so."_ Kat thought as she reached into her pocket. _"And I could melt the gun but that would out me as Dragon Girl, then again its not like most of the city doesn't already know that."_ Kat thought before pulling out the wallet and handing it to him. "Here, just don't hurt me."

"Easier than I thought!" The thug scoffed as he snatched the wallet from her hands and looked inside as he walked away. "Holy shit! That's a lot of money! This will set me up for weeks!"

" _Okay, how the fuck do I explain this to mom!?"_ Kat thought with a frown as she watched her mugger near the end of the alleyway. _"Maybe I could fly home, get changed into the Dragon Girl costume and track him down? No, that would take too long, and he could be anywhere by the time I get home!"_ Kat's train off thought was interrupted when the mugger let out a startled yelp and she looked up seeing him being suspended by a mini tornado. _"Only one person I know with that ability!"_

"Didn't your mom tell you that stealing is wrong!" Yuri in her Superhero guise as Silent Tempest said as she landed next to thethug and quickly snatched the wallet from his hand. "The police are nearby so sit tight."

" _She must've seen the mugging from above the alley as she was passing through, I know she's on solo patrol today."_ Kat thought as she watched the mugger get arrested and Yuri walk up to her. _"And it's probably a good guess that she didn't realize it was me."_

"Here you go ma'am." Yuri said as she walked up to the taller girl not even realizing who she was at first. "You really shouldn't be walking around with that much money on you, you are lucky that I…..." Yuri trailed off as she looked up and instantly recognized her friend. "Kat?!" Yuri asked as she, after checking to see that no one was watching, removed her mask showing the shocked expression on her face. "That raises a lot more questions than I originally had in mind."

"Can I have my wallet back?" Kat asked, and Yuri complied as she handed the wallet back to the Chinese girl. "Can we talk somewhere a bit more private?"

"Sure, follow me." Yuri responded as she recovered from her shock before the two women started flying away.

*a few minutes later*

Yuri and Kat landed atop a nearby rooftop and Yuri wasted no time in turning to Kat with a curious look on her face.

"Okay, where did you get that five hundred dollars from?" Yuri asked as she folded her arms. "I thought you said last week that you had spent all your money on Dominos and diner food? Or is that part of your windfall from your dad's life insurance policy?"

"I did, and no it's not, and even if I hadn't, I never had this much money on me." Kat responded as she took a seat on the edge of the roof. "The money I got from my dad's life insurance is in a trust fund that won't open until I turn twenty one, the idea being that I use it to go a good college and still have some money left over." Kat explained, and Yuri nodded in understanding. "That said, the five hundred dollars is tied into how I wasted my money last week, remember when I went to see my mom the day before she was discharged?"

"Yeah, I remember, what about it?" Yuri asked before it dawned on her. "You admitted to wasting your money and your mom gave you the five hundred dollars, am I right?"

"Yeah, I was initially reluctant to take it because I thought that she still had hospital bills to pay." Kat responded with a nod as she shifted her weight. "She said that she would've given me more if she hadn't already paid the hospital bills."

"Okay, that makes sense, not sure if my dad would be as forgiving if I said something along those lines but then again he does make good money." Yuri nodded once she got the idea. "That said, how do you plan on spending that money?"

"The only thing mom said about that was too not spend it all at once, I was on my way to the bank so I could put two hundred in my account and the remaining three hundred? Well I'm thinking that I'll use that to take Marco out on a date." Kat explained before thinking for a moment. "Probably a fancy restaurant or something, I've already ruled out Chinese and Italian because of me and Marco's roots but New York is a melting pot so there's bound to be a few restaurants we could try."

"I would recommend the restaurant I worked as a server at, but I wouldn't really call it fancy." Yuri admitted with a grin. "It's like your mom's restaurant, a mom and pop joint, food's good but there are fancier Japanese restaurants in the city."

"I'm planning to meet up with him later, surprise him with the fact that I can afford to take him to such a place and take it from there." Kat responded with a shrug before frowning. "And on that note, maybe don't tell the other trainees about this? Last thing I need is every other trainee asking me for money."

"Well crap, there goes my last question!" Yuri responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Kat. "Don't worry about it, my family's pretty well off, I know what it's like." Yuri added before she began to take flight. "So, you plan on going out as Dragon Girl later?"

"Provided I don't spend the rest of the day with Marco, and maybe the rest of the night." Kat responded with a knowing grin and Yuri nodded in understanding before flying off. _"Not risking me being mugged again."_ Kat thought as she started to fly back to her house. _"I'll go home, get changed into my Dragon Girl costume, stick my clothes and wallet in the back pack and meet Marco."_ Kat thought before she got a text message notification and checked it. _"Perfect, Marco wants to meet up in Central Park, this should be good."_ Kat thought before flying off.

"Hey boss, you were right about this chick." The leader of a group of thugs said as he followed Katrina's flight path in a car. "Don't know many Chinese girls who can fly."

"Excellent!" The thug's boss responded with glee in his voice. "Follow her but keep your distance, we can't let her know that the Great Phantasmo intends to break Dragon Girl!"

"Whatever Greg!" The thug responded as he rolled his eyes. "Guys, the boss wants us to follow the flying chick, keep your distance!"

"I said my name was the Great Phantasmo!" The Great Phantasmo responded with an annoyed tone of voice before the thugs drove off.

*later*

It was an average day in central park with many New York residents and tourists a like going about their business, and in Marco's case he was still waiting for Kat.

"Say cheese!" Marco called out to the family of tourists who had come to New York for their vacation from England, the family, consisting of the parents and their three children, two boys and a girl, called out cheese as Marco took the picture with their camera and handed it back to the father. "Hope you guys enjoy your stay in New York."

"We will, thank you, young man." The father responded as he took back the camera before walking away, Marco watched them walk away as he sat back down on the bench. "Come on Children, we'll be late for the show!"

"But dad, we still haven't met a Superhero." The youngest of the two boys moaned and Marco shook his head before checking his phone.

" _Somehow I doubt they even realize that they've already met one."_ Marco thought before glancing up at the sky just in time to see Kat fly overhead. _"At least Kat's arrived, that reminds me,"_ Marco thought before sending Kat another text. "Kat, I just met a tourist family from England who are eager to meet a Superhero, since you're in the Dragon Girl costume you could help with that." Marco muttered under his breath as he sent the text to his girlfriend, a few seconds later he heard the excited cheers from the children indicating that Kat had seen the text and a few seconds later Kat approached him with a grin on her face. "So, you got my text?"

"Literally just as I was looking for a place to land." Kat responded as she sat next to her boyfriend, she lifted her mask to give her boyfriend a kiss which Marco quickly reciprocated. "So, I've got a surprise for you." Kat added once the kiss was broken and she lowered her mask.

"So, do I." Marco responded as he reached into his pocket and Kat reached into her backpack. "You first, ladies first and all that."

"Great." Kat nodded before getting the wallet out and, after making sure that no one was looking, she showed him the contents causing Marco's eyes to go wide. "I told mom about my financial difficulties from the week before." Kat added as she put her wallet back. "She gave me that money after she paid her hospital bills and I'm thinking that we can use it to go to a fancy restaurant for a date!" Kat added, and Marco grinned sheepishly.

"Now I'm beginning to think that my surprise won't live up to that." Marco said sheepishly before grabbing his surprise from his pocket. "I had the same basic idea but not a fancy restaurant." Marco added as he passed her a ticket. "Two tickets to the Great Phantasmo's debut show in New York City!"

"Who?!" Kat asked with a skeptical look on her face and Marco shook his head.

"He's some psychic that's been touring the country saying that he can mentally break a Superhero." Marco responded with a shrug and Kat's frown deepened. "Sophia was meant to go with her girlfriend but her girlfriend fell ill so she gave me the tickets."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask." Kat responded with a frown. "You want us, a pair of Superheroes, to go see a guy bragging about mentally breaking a Superhero? What's your next idea? Challenge the Hulk to an arm-wrestling contest?!"

"Maybe?" Marco responded with a sheepish grin and Kat shook her head. "Besides, this guy's been blowing nothing but hot air, I asked Cap about him and none of the older heroes are taking him seriously."

"Okay, I'll go but if any weird shit happens we're leaving." Kat responded before getting an idea. "How about we go to the restaurant first and then too the show?"

"I'm guessing you have a change of clothes?" Marco asked, and Kat patted the backpack in response. "Good enough for me, you have anywhere in mind?"

"Not really, was hoping you'd have some ideas, already eliminated any Chinese and Italian places because of our heritages." Kat responded, and Marco thought for a moment.

"Why not try a French restaurant then? I mean, we did do pretty well cooking that Steak and Frites dinner last week." Marco suggested, and Kat gave him a knowing look. "Okay, you and the others did a good job on it and I wasn't allowed anywhere near the stove, but you know what I mean!"

"Sounds like a plan, wonder if Tony has any suggestions." Kat responded before she stood up and mentally ordered her wings to extract. "Did you bring the Mental Boy costume?"

"Left it at home, didn't think I'd need it tonight, but I did come in my car." Marco responded before getting an idea. "Why don't you come in my car then? I'll let you get changed in the backseat first."

"You sure this isn't just an excuse to watch me get changed?" Kat asked, and Marco shook his head. "Good, besides that, I can get there a lot faster flying and we both know that."

"Well yeah but this is our first real date, may as well come in the same car." Marco explained and that was all the convincing Kat needed to order her wings to retract. "Just don't order your wings to extract whilst I'm driving."

"Marco, I've had these for a little under a month now." Kat pointed out as she glanced at her wings. "I stopped inadvertently ordering them to come out a long time ago and I'm not about to make that mistake whilst you're driving."

"Weirder things have happened, that's all I'm saying." Marco responded before standing up. "Let's get going." Marco added, and Kat nodded before walking alongside her boyfriend.

*a few hours later*

Marco and Katrina (after Katrina had gotten changed out of the Dragon Girl costume like she planned) ended up eating at The Tree Bistro which was on the way to the venue where they would be seeing a show, the staff were initially skeptical that the young couple could afford to eat there but once Katrina flashed the cash they were more than happy to serve her and Marco, they had just finished their desert and had asked for the bill.

"Man, I haven't felt that stuffed since the feast we had on Friday." Marco commented with a grin after they had given their plates to the waitress. "Glad you talked me into not having the burger."

"Don't get me wrong, I like a good burger." Kat responded with a grin on her face as the waitress walked away from them. "But I can think of at least a dozen good burger places near where I live that are a lot cheaper, if we're going to go to a fancy place like this, I think we should get something different."

"Can't argue with that, still can't get over how good that Risotto was." Marco responded with a grin before shifting his weight. "So, Kat, have you given any thought to the future now that you've got your payout from your dad's life insurance policy?"

"The money from the policy is in a trust fund that I can't access until I turn twenty one." Kat responded as she shook her head. "Dad wanted to make sure that I still got in a good college if my athletics pursuits fizzled out for whatever reason I guess, until then I still need to figure out what I'm going to study at college." Kat responded before finishing her drink. "But I am thinking of going to culinary school."

"Follow in your mom's footsteps? Except with actual training?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "Well, you were a quick learner last week, so I can't see why you wouldn't be good at it, that said, how do you plan on working around your wings?"

"That I haven't figured out, it's the main reason why I stopped helping out mom in her restaurant." Kat explained with a frown on her face. "I think I'll try to figure that out if I actually go through with this idea, the only way I can think to work around it is by operating a food truck or something similar, I can set my own time, operate it solo if need be and it'll be easy for me to duck out if I need to be in the Dragon Girl costume."

"Only problem I can think off with that idea is that you'd risk leaving hungry customers if you had to leave in the middle of a busy day." Marco pointed out after the waitress returned with the bill and Kat paid for the meal whilst including a tip, Marco checked the time on the tickets and grinned before standing up. "If we leave now we should get to the theatre in time for the show."

"This had better be good, I know you have dismissed this "Great Phantasmo" guy as a blow hard but I'm having my doubts." Kat responded with a frown as she stood up and the two teens left the restaurant.

*twenty minutes later*

Kat and Marco arrived at the theatre with plenty of time to spare which allowed them to get seating rather quickly, Sophia's tickets happened to put them right at the front of the stage and they made themselves comfortable.

"So, how did Sophia afford these tickets in the first place?" Kat wondered as she turned to her boyfriend. "She's still a Sophomore at her high school last I checked and so if her girlfriend."

"It was a birthday present for her girlfriend which made the fact that she can't make it even sadder." Marco responded with a frown and Kat nodded in agreement. "Luckily Sophia managed to get tickets for another show, unfortunately she had to borrow the credit card Tony leant us last week to order them." Marco added, and Kat raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you gave that back after the week was up?" Kat asked with a curious look on her face and Marco shook his head.

"We were meant too but Sophia talked me into it, after I explained the situation to Tony he let it slide." Marco added as other patrons started to take their seats and Marco looked around. "Why do I get the feeling that we're the only teenagers in the theatre?"

"Can you honestly name a teenager who's still interested in going to the theatre these days?" Kat asked with a grin and Marco thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Thought not." Kat responded as the theatre filled up and within minutes the show started.

Fog machines started to fill the stage with fog and the spotlights shone around the stage before eventually centering on the center of the stage where The Great Phantasmo came up through the stage on a podium dressed in a stereotypical magician's garb but with a purple turban in place of a top hat. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children off all ages, please welcome the world renowned The Great Phantasmo!" The announcer introduced the psychic who took a bow.

" _If he's world renowned, why haven't I heard of him until Marco surprised me with those tickets?"_ Kat thought before she joined in on the audience's applause.

Thank, thank you and welcome to the show!" The Great Phantasmo thanked the audience as the applause died down. "I have traveled the country since I discovered my powers, but I have to say that you have been my best audience so far!"

" _Can't have been much of an audience in that case."_ Marco thought as he looked around the other patrons most of whom where either bored already or not paying attention to the show. _"Then again if me and Kat weren't right at the front we'd totally be making out in the backrow!"_

"My first trick requires a volunteer." The Great Phantasmo called out and several hands went up whilst Kat kept hers down. "You, the Asian lady at the front." The Great Phantasmo declared as the spotlight shone on Kat and the surprised look on her face.

" _What? I never volunteered? And the least he could do is take a stab at which Asian country I'm from!"_ Kat thought before standing up and hopping on stage whilst the hands in the audience went down. _"If he his psychic then he probably realized me and Marco's Superhero identities, then again its' not like I'm making an effort to hide my wings."_ Kat thought before she walked up to The Great Phantasmo.

"All right little lady, all you need to do is pick a card from this hand." The Great Phantasmo explained as he showed her a hand full of tarot cardsand whilst Kat resisted the urge to roll her eyes at being called little by someone shorter than her she picked the middle card which happened to be death, the Great Phantasmo did a quick shuffle of the cards before holding out the decl. "Is the top card of the deck death?"

"Gee, I wonder what it could be?" Kat muttered under her breath before picking up the cad, playing along she feigned shock when the top card was indeed revealed to be death. _"That's one of the oldest magician tricks in the book, so much for the Great Phantasmo being some great psychic."_

"My powers know no limits!" The Great Phantasmo called out to the cheering crowd and Kat rolled her eyes before she started to return to her seat. "Thank you for your help, Katrina."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…...what did you call me?" Kat asked as she turned to the Great Phantasmo who ignored her and continued with the show, however it still left a bad taste in her mouth as she returned to Marco. "Marco, can we leave?" Kat whispered to her boyfriend and Marco blinked.

"But the show just started?" Marco protested, and Kat shook her head.

"That's the problem, he referred to me by name despite never asking for it and the card he gave me was the death card." Kat added, and Marco frowned. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I don't feel safe staying here any longer."

"You do have a point." Marco conceded before he stood up and left with Kat. "I hope to make our next date more eventful."

"You and me both." Kat nodded not realizing that The Great Phantasmo was watching her leave from the stage. _"I still can't shake this uneasy feeling."_ Kat thought as they left the theatre and got into Marco's car not realizing that her night was only going to get weirder from there.


	27. Do Dragon Girls dream of Electric Sheep

Authors Note:

I don't normally do these as I prefer to dive straight into the story but today (12th of November) we lost a man who, without him, I wouldn't be writing about Katrina and Marco and my first fic would've been something completely different, a visionary who created the Marvel Universe alongside Jack Kirby and many others and gave us such memorable characters as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and many others.

This chapter is dedicated to Stan Lee, without whom I wouldn't be writing this fic, nor would we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe, RIP Stan Lee, go forth true believe, excelsior!

By the time Kat and Marco returned to Kat's home from the theatre Lin was in the middle of dinner service and thinking that she wouldn't be finished for a few hours at least Kat invited Marco into the house where they sat down to watch Netflix, more specifically the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film which Kat had never seen.

"No, no, not the meat hook!" Kat grimaced as she watched the infamous scene where Pam got impaled back first on a meat hook by Leatherface, after a few seconds Kat quickly reached for the TV remote and stopped the movie. "I'm adding that to the list of films I'll never be able to sit through."

"What? Oh, come on, the Meat Hook scene isn't that brutal!" Marco asserted, and Kat rolled her eyes before she turned her back to him to show where the wings were protruding.

"Says the guy who doesn't have wings coming out of his upper back!" Kat responded before she turned back to her boyfriend. "The pain may have gone when the wings finally came out but it's still fresh in my memory! And that scene brought those memories to the forefront for me!"

"Well, now that you put it that way, I guess Texas Chainsaw Massacre wasn't the best choice." Marco admitted before Kat handed him the remote. "So, do you think we should tell Sophia that her tickets ultimately went to waste?"

"Maybe wait a week or two, I'm still processing everything that happened back at the theatre." Kat responded as she hook her head whilst Marco scrolled through Netflix, without even thinking about it Kat kicked off her shoes and lay down on the sofa whilst resting her head on Marco's lap which he didn't seem to mind. "Still, I feel kinda guilty about letting your surprise for me go to waste, wish there was a way I could make up for it." Kat responded before Marco got an idea and turned off Netflix and the TV.

"Well, I'm not usually one to indulge in Internet Memes but there's always Netflix and Chill." Marco suggested, and Kat grinned quickly getting the idea. "Only if your up for it off course, I mean you did say that you were saving yourself for me." Marco added and quickly got his answer when Kat reached up and kissed him passionately, he returned the kiss before they broke it up. "So, err, your room or down here?"

"I really don't want our first time having sex to be interrupted and I still don't know how much time is left until dinner service ends." Kat responded before walking towards the kitchen. "Wait for me in my room, there's some condoms in the kitchen."

"Why is there condoms in the kitchen?" Marco asked as Kat rushed off towards the kitchen.

"Dad brought them a while ago in case I ever brought you home, last I checked mom hasn't thrown them out yet." Kat responded before she ran into the kitchen and Marco ran upstairs.

*a few minutes later outside*

Whilst Kat and Marco had sex in Kat's room dinner service was well underway in the restaurant, however there was one car parked outside for nefarious purposes.

"Err, boss, are you sure about this?" The lead thug asked as another one held up a strange device pointed at Kat's bedroom window and the teens had forgotten to draw the curtains resulting in them getting an unintentional show. "I mean, spying on a teenaged girl's room is one thing but she's with her boyfriend and they are pretty plainly having sex in there."

"Excellent, that means we won't have to wait nearly as long." The Great Phantasmo responded and the thug frowned. "Look, you're in the side alley between the two buildings, the only thing that could spot you is their CCTV camera and for all they know, you are just some guys who got lost."

"Or we are a bunch of perverts on a one way ticket to the Sex Offender Registry." The lead thug responded as he rolled his eyes. "What exactly does this thing do? I know you got it from that Tinkerer guy."

"I'll explain when you get back, just wait for them to finish." The Great Phantasmo responded and the lead thug grumbled under his breath as he watched the window.

*later in Kat's dream*

Kat and Marco's sex session had gone uninterrupted and they were now fast asleep, however whilst Marco was having a relatively normal dream Kat's dream was anything but normal.

" _What the?!"_ Katrina thought as she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her bed alongside her boyfriend nor was she naked, instead she was back at her dad's funeral complete with the same black dress she had worn that day. _"This is weird."_

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the lives of Howard and Katrina Lao, gunned down by a Scourge of the Underworld agent." The priest started the sermon which immediately sent up red flags for Kat. "Howard Lao was an honorable man, kind, decent and someone who we should all aspire to be."

" _If it weren't for the fact that this is also my funeral, I'd be thinking that I'm about to go up to do my eulogy only to realize that I'm in my underwear."_ Kat thought as she listened to the priest go on about her father. _"Not that I'm about to dispute what the priest is saying but is there a point to me reliving this?"_

"Howard Lao was a man we should all aspire to be." The priest finished, and the mourners nodded in agreement, even Kat found herself nodding absentmindedly as a tear ran down her cheek. "As opposed to his daughter Katrina, a selfish spoiled brat who the world is better off without."

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Kat yelled out, but no one seemed to notice her, not even her mother who, much to her shock, was agreeing with the priest. _"Something's definitely off here."_ Kat thought as she listened to the priest drag her name through the mud, however there was two things that stuck out in her mind.

"I wish I never gave birth to you." Lin said as she spat on Katrina's coffin whilst Kat watched on in shock as tears ran down her cheeks. "If it weren't for you, my husband would still be alive!"

"NO! NO!" Kat yelled out as she dropped to her knees but again, no one paid her any attention. "This…. this has to be a sick joke, this can't be happening!" Kat added before she noticed that the scenery had changed, all the other funeral goers had left leaving her kneeling at her dad's grave, she glanced to the right and realized that there wasn't a tombstone for her. _"At least I've got some peace and quiet!"_ Kat thought as she took several deep breaths before going to stand up.

However, as she did a decaying hand shot up through the ground and grabbed her by the arm, Kat struggled to break free of the hand's grasp but even with her super strength it wasn't enough as she was soon dragged six feet under until she found herself surrounded by darkness, at least until the decaying face of her father came into view. "You let me die!"

"No, no!" Kat shouted as her zombified father lunged at her.

*back in the real world*

Kat awoke with a scream as she sat up in her bed, she took several deep breaths before instinctively covering her cleavage with the bedsheet as she realized that she was back in her bed.

" _What the hell was that about?!"_ Kat thought before the light came on and she looked up seeing her mother in the doorway. "Mom? I thought dinner service was still ongoing?"

"It finished an hour ago, I thought you were still out with Marco." Lin responded before Marco poked his head up from the other side. "Ahh, that explains a lot."

"If only it was that simple." Kat responded as she ran a hand through her messy hair. "We need to talk mom, Marco, I'd appreciate it if you sat in on this."

"Sure, though we should probably get dressed first." Marco suggested, and the two women nodded in agreement before Lin closed the door.

*later*

Once Kat and Marco were dressed (though Kat only got changed into her pajamas after realizing how late it was) they met in the kitchen with Lin and made themselves comfortable whilst Lin prepared some tea, once Kat had recapped the dream to Lin and Marco they were left speechless for a moment.

"I can't even say that I've had dreams like that before." Kat added as she ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at her mom. "Most of my dreams these days focus on what could have been with my athletics career but nothing like that."

"And you think that this Great Phantasmo has something to do with it?" Lin asked with a raised eyebrow and Kat nodded.

"I want to dismiss it as just a coincidence, but he called me up to the stage despite me never raising my hand and called me "Katrina" even though I never told him my name." Kat explained before taking a sip from her drink. "That sent off enough red flags for me to call it an early night and we came back home, watched some Netflix and, well, you know the rest." Kat added before sighing. "I don't think it has anything to do with us watching the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre before we had sex either, I watched the original Robocop on Netflix whilst you were in the hospital and I slept fine that night."

"I must admit, it doesn't seem like a coincidence, and I'm sure that if Howard was alive he'd say basically the same thing." Lin nodded in agreement before putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "And you know that the horrible things I apparently said in the dream couldn't be further from the truth."

"Mom, if I believed those words for a second, I don't think we'd be having this conversation." Kat responded with a nod before sighing. "Maybe I should talk to Cap about this, or at least the psychologist he assigned to me, he's been in this game longer than I've been alive, if anyone could help me it's him, well that or Professor X but last I heard the X-Men where overseas."

"We'll figure something out babe, besides your still the most wonderful woman I know and no fucked up dream is going to change that." Marco assured her, and Kat grinned in response. "One might call you a Wonder Woman for that matter."

"You sure you're not trying to get back in my pants?" Kat asked with a grin and Marco shook his head with a laugh. "Good, even if you were, that dream put me off going for round two with you anyway."

"Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad that you don't want to have sex with me, mostly because I need to get back home." Marco responded as he stood up and stretched. "I texted my dad to let hm know that I'd be staying with Kat for a bit, but I don't think three hours was what he had in mind, call me crazy."

"You're crazy." Kat responded with a grin and Marco laughed. "Mom, you mind if I check the CCTV footage in the morning? I want to see if the Great Phantasmo was anywhere near the house or restaurant."

"Off course, I'll show you to the monitors shortly after you wake up." Lin assured her and Kat grinned. "Your car was still outside the restaurant when dinner service ended Marco so getting home shouldn't be a problem, and you are welcome to stay over anytime as long as you remember to use a condom."

"Do I look like a guy who'd forget that? Don't answer that." Marco responded once he saw the looks on the two Chinese women's faces. "See you tomorrow Kat."

"See you tomorrow." Kat responded as she watched her boyfriend leave. "Hopefully I'm wrong about this and this is just a nightmare, last I need right now is a villain who can mess with my head."

"I usually say that brains will prevail over brawn in most cases." Lin admitted as she stood up. "But if he is psychic then this might be the only exception to that rule."

"I'll take "things I never thought I'd hear my mom say" for five hundred Alex." Kat responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Lin. "Oh look, the daily double!"

"Don't get greedy, I already gave you five hundred this morning." Lin responded jokingly before leading her daughter upstairs. "Just got to get your bedsheets in the wash, I know you used a condom, but you can never be too careful."

"Mom, I think we'd have bigger issues if Marco's condom broke." Kat pointed out as she folded her arms before shaking her head. "Then again, me and Marco did leave the bedsheets in quite a state by the time we finished."

"Same thing happened the first time me and your father had sex." Lin assured her, and Kat winced as she blushed a furious red. "Minus the wings off course."

"Mom, can you please not say anything about you and dad having sex again? I know you had several tries before you had me but that mental image…..." Kat trailed off with a shudder whilst Lin chuckled. "It's almost enough to put me off having sex with Marco."

"Once you have children of your own, you'll understand." Lin responded as they reached the top of the stairs and she entered Kat's bedroom.

*the next morning*

Even after the dream had ended Kat had trouble sleeping that night which she had attributed to the nightmare she had suffered, still that didn't stop her because as soon as she fixed herself some breakfast and had eaten she left the house in her Dragon Girl costume and headed towards the training center.

" _Probably a good thing that my mask covers my eyes."_ Kat thought as she touched down in front of the building's entrance. _"My eyes were bloodshot to hell and back this morning, wonder if anyone else is around."_

"Morning Kat." Yuri's voice rang out and Kat glanced up seeing the Japanese girl landing behind her in the Silent Tempest costume, Yuri removed her mask and from the look of things had no issue getting any sleep last night. "Sleep well?"

"Wish I could say that I did." Kat sighed before removing her mask and turning to the shorter girl. "It's complicated but it is something I plan to chat with Cap about."

"If it requires a chat with Cap then I'm guessing it's not just a bad dream that kept you up at night?" Yuri asked, and Kat shook her head before opening the door to the training center. "Are you sure it's not something we can talk about?"

"Well it started when me and Marco went to see The Great Phantasmo last night and ended when I had the weirdest dream ever after me and Marco had sex." Kat explained, and Yuri frowned in response. "I'd go into detail, but that dream involved a lot of personal info, the kind that The Great Phantasmo wouldn't be able to get through a google search."

"So, you think his psychic powers are the real deal?" Yuri asked, and Kat nodded in response. "Well, it's not like psychic powers are that uncommon but messing with dreams? That's a new one."

"That's why I'm hoping to talk to Cap about it, he's been around so long that he might have some insight." Kat responded before the two girls entered the training center. "Go on ahead Yuri, I won't be long."

"Sure." Yuri nodded before she walked off towards the training grounds, Kat watched her friend leave her behind before she walked over to Cap's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Cap called out and Kat opened the door. "Good morning Katrina, I hope you are well." Cap greeted her as Kat entered the office.

"Yeah, that's the thing, I need to talk to you about something." Kat responded, and Cap invited her to take a seat which she did so. "Quite frankly, I don't know where to start."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Cap responded, and Kat nodded before recapping the previous day's events and ending with the dream she had last night whilst omitting that she had after having sex with Marco. "And you believe this Great Phantasmo has something to do with it?"

"My dad always said that as a police officer, he isn't allowed to believe in coincidences." Kat responded with a nod as she shifted her weight. "I guess I've been applying that same logic to my Superhero work but what do you think?"

"Well, I can certainly understand why that dream shook you up." Cap nodded in understanding and Kat frowned, whilst she had brushed her hair before braiding it there was nothing she could do about her bloodshot eyes. "Have you talked to your mother about it?"

"She and Marco were the first people I talked too about the dream, after that conversation I asked if I could have a look at the CCTV footage." Kat added before reaching into her backpack and producing four photos. "I got about three hours of sleep before that dream woke me up, during that time frame I noticed that this car had been parked in the side alley where the deliveries are made." Kat explained as she passed the photos to Cap who picked them up. "I couldn't get a good luck at the occupants, but I did get their license plate number, I've got it written on the back of the fourth photo." Kat added, and Cap turned the photo around.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were taking after your dad, at least as an investigator." Cap responded, and Kat grinned in response. "I'll have someone run the plate through the DMV Database, but dreams aren't my area of expertise."

"I know, I was hoping you'd have some insight though." Kat responded, and Cap thought for a moment.

"Unfortunately, Katrina, the only thing I can recommend is continuing on with your normal life." Cap responded as he passed the photos back to Kat. "As I said, this isn't my area of expertise but if you have another dream like the one you described too me and the car shows up again don't hesitate to get in contact with me or another hero, sorry to disappoint you."

"It's fine, I knew it was a longshot anyway." Kat admitted with a sigh as she returned the photos to the backpack. "Am I out on patrol today?"

"You'll be going out on patrol with Yuri this afternoon, it should be a quiet night, so you might be able to relax." Cap explained, and Kat nodded before standing up. "Have you talked to your psychologist about it?"

"Not sure if there's a point, I've never had a dream like that before." Kat explained before she put has mask on.

"True but he might be able to give you more insight than I could." Cap responded, and Kat paused before nodding.

"If it happens again I'll have a chat with him." Kat responded before leaving the office and closing the door behind her, once the door was closed Kat let out a deep breath before heading towards the training grounds. _"At least I got Cap to look into that car's license plate number, hopefully I'm just being paranoid about this Great Phantasmo guy."_

*later*

Kat and Yuri had left for their patrol a couple of hours ago and so far it had been a quiet day as Cap had predicted.

"So, there's one thing that's been bugging me since we had our conversation earlier." Yuri commented as she walked up to Kat, the two Asian girls were on a rooftop in the Upper West Side and had their masks off. "You said you had sex with Marco, right?"

"It's been bugging you that I had sex with my boyfriend?" Kat asked with a small grin on her face getting a laugh out of Yuri. "Or where you hoping to have him to yourself?"

"Oh please, he's a good looking guy and all but you were already dating him when we first met." Yuri responded with a grin as she shook her head. "And before you ask, I'm not attracted to you the same way Jessica is, I'm about as straight as they come, not like that didn't stop Jessica."

"Glad I wasn't the only one." Kat sighed in response before turning to Yuri. "So what has been bugging you exactly?"

"Well, it's your wings." Yuri said as she looked at Kat's wings. "No offense but I can't imagine getting around them not being awkward once your clothes came off."

"I'll admit, it was awkward at first." Kat admitted as she glanced at her wings. "But we figured it out, basically when Marco was on top I had my wings out and when I was on top I had my wings retracted." Kat explained before laughing. "Still surprised I didn't knock over any of my sports trophies."

"Considering how wide your wings are, I have to agree." Yuri responded with a grin, but their peace was interrupted by a bank alarm down the street. "No rest for the wicked I guess." Yuri muttered as she put her mask on. "At least the crooks won't surrender as quickly as the guys I busted with She-Hulk."

"To be fair, there's only a handful of people dumb enough to willingly fight someone with Hulk level strength…..and I just remembered that I had that bright idea during Hulk's last rampage." Kat admitted before putting her mask on. "At least Hulk isn't known for turning over banks."

"That depends if you mean literally or figuratively." Yuri pointed out and Kat chuckled in response. "See you on the other side!" Yuri added before flying off.

"THAT'S MY LINE!" Kat protested before sighing. _"I need a new catchphrase, everyone I know has stolen mine!"_ Kat thought before she flew off after Yuri.

*a few minutes later*

Kat and Yuri landed on the bank's rooftop to plan their course of action, meanwhile the robbers inside the bank where going about their business.

"No one be a hero, no one gets hurt!" The lead thug shouted as he waved his gun at the onlookers who huddled together. "Michael, get the getaway vehicle ready, Franklin keep an eye out for any Superheroes!"

"You got it Trevor!" Franklin responded but before he could do anything else Kat flew in and sent the thug flying with an elbow to the face knocking him out.

"Oops, sorry, was he meant to be the lookout for heroes like us?" Kat asked mockingly as she turned to the other two thugs. "Sorry about that, I'll remember to give him more of a chance to be a lookout next time."

"Us?" Michael echoed before he found himself suspended by a gust of wind courtesy of Yuri, Yuri then sent him flying against the wall knocking him out.

"Just one left." Yuri commented as she landed next to Kat. "Where is the leader?"

"Over here." Trevor's voice rang 4out and the two girls looked up to see him holding a female bank teller hostage. "They can go to prison for all I care, I'm getting out of here alive!"

"I wouldn't count on that!" Yuri responded before nodding to Kat who flew above the thug, Trevor let go off the hostage and span around only to get a roundhouse kick to the face knocking him out, however as he fell to the floor his gun went off hitting another bank teller in the shoulder. "Oh no!"

"Somebody call an ambulance, quick!" Another bank teller called out after he rushed to his colleague's aid, Kat said nothing as she flew out of the bank which Yuri quickly noticed.

*a few minutes later*

It didn't take Yuri long to find Kat as he was back on the rooftop they had their conversation at, Yuri landed next to her and sat down.

"I talked with the paramedics, the bank tellers going to make it." Yuri assured her friend and Kat let out a massive sigh of relief. "He was lucky that the bullet missed a vital artery otherwise, it could've turned fatal."

"Believe me, I know." Kat responded with a sigh as she turned to her friend. "My dad drilled into my head just how important gun safety was from a young age, don't leave it lying about the house, only point it at something you want to kill, you get the idea, he rarely ever used his gun as a policeman but when he did, well, you could tell that he hated himself for it."

"I think I know what you mean, before he became the mutant specialist at Mercy General my dad hated having to give his patients bad news and he still does, only difference is bad news for mutants isn't usually fatal." Yuri nodded in understanding before she motioned to Kat's wings. "Much like when he told you that you were stuck with your wings."

"Destroying any hope, I had of being an Olympic level athlete in the process." Kat sighed in response as she ran a hand through her hair. "I should've melted his gun when I had the chance but no! I had to kick him straight away!" Kat added as she shook her head. "I think it's that dream I had last night, it's affecting my performance."

"I didn't want to say anything out of respect, but I think you might be right." Yuri nodded in understanding before she stood up and put her mask on. "How about this, I take you home and we'll cook a nice dinner together, your place that is, that should take your mind off of this."

"That might be what I need." Kat nodded in agreement before she checked the time. "Dinner service just started so mom will be busy, let's go." Kat added before the two girls flew off.

"Hey boss." The thug said into his earpiece as he watched the two female Superheroes fly away. "They're on the move again, heading towards Chinatown."

"Follow them but try to be discreet, I fear they might have gotten the cars license plate number." The Great Phantasmo responded and thug nodded before he drove off after them.


	28. Sleepless Nights

That night would end up being another sleepless one for Kat, to the point where she stopped by a corner store on the way to the training grounds to grab a can of Red Bull so she would at least have some energy for the day ahead, but once she arrived at the training grounds Cap told her to talk to her psychologist out of concern for what happened the previous night and Kat wasn't about to argue with him on that front.

"Take a seat Katrina." The psychologist, a man in his late forties who was clearly balding and had some of the largest glasses Lat had ever seen on his head, instructed her and Kat did so without hesitation. "Captain America told me about the conversation you had with him yesterday, have you had any similar dreams since then?"

"I haven't been able to get any sleep full stop." Kat admitted as she leaned back on her chair. "I've tried everything I can think off short of sleeping pills, listening to boring music, listening to a math lecture, listening to Nickelback, counting sheep, you name it, I've tried it."

"That is troubling, especially given your line of work." The psychologist responded as he jotted down some notes. "How about we talk about the contents of your first dream, I have the cliff notes from your talk with Cap yesterday, have you told anyone else about it?"

"Just my mom and my boyfriend Marco, otherwise known as Mental Boy." Kat responded with a shrug before sighing. "Mom assured me that the events of my dream couldn't be further from the truth, but it's still been weighing heavily on my mind, especially the ending where I was dragged into my dad's grave."

"That is understandable, I know your only eighteen but even someone as old as Cap would be shaken up by such a dream." The psychologist assured her, and Kat frowned as she leaned back. "Katrina, I understand if this question is too personal for you, but do you feel any guilt over your father's death?"

"Guilt?" Kat asked before taking a deep breath. "I was right there! I heard my dad struggling with the guy who would end up killing him and I didn't spring into action, instead I went to investigate the noise and now he's dead, his killer will never face justice because he killed himself seconds later but if I had tried to break them up my dad could still be alive."

"Or it could've ended with you being shot, your father was a cop and Yuri mentioned in her report that you said that he had lectured you on gun safety." The psychologist responded, and Kat lowered her head. "It's obvious to me that there is a lot of lingering guilt over your father's death but sometimes, these things happen for a reason, accepting that might help you overcome your guilt."

"Yeah, maybe." Kat responded with a sigh before taking a deep breath. "I know this is out of your area of expertise, but do you think thus Great Phantasmo guy is trying to exploit my guilt?"

"It's possible, especially if he really is psychic and has read your mind, until we catch him in the act we won't know for certain." The psychologist responded, and Kat nodded. "Did the car you mentioned to Kat show up again?"

"I checked the CCTV footage last night, same car, same occupants, same result." Kat responded with a frown before standing up. "Are we done?"

"Yes, and if you do finally get some sleep and experience a similar dream my door is always open." The psychologist responded with a nod before Kat left the room.

*later*

A day may have passed since the last bank robbery but that wasn't about to stop other thugs from trying the same thing.

"Everyone stay on the ground!" The leader of the six thugs shouted as he fired his gun into the air as they robbed a bank in Midtown. "No one be a hero, no one gets hurt! Hurry up boys, we want to be out of here before someone like Dragon Girl shows up!"

"You called?" Kat's voice rang out and the thug looked up just in time to see Kat melt his gun with her fire breath, the thug took several steps back before realizing that Silent Tempest and Mental Boy were also in the bank as dud the other thugs quickly draining them off their confidence in the process. "All though, to be honest, we're not the ones you should be worried about?"

"You're not?" The lead thug asked only to be whacked in the head by a thrown, very familiar shield knocking him out, the remaining thugs looked up and surrendered almost immediately when they saw who was with the three heroes.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Captain America greeted them before retrieving his shield. "The police are waiting for you outside." Cap added, and the thugs couldn't flee the bank fast enough as they ran out if the bank. "Katrina, are you sure you want to do this?" Cap asked as he noticed the Chinese girl yawning. "You are operating on very little sleep."

"It's better than being bored out of mind." Kat responded before pouting a bit. "But on the other hand, busting up bank robberies isn't nearly as fun when the thugs surrender without a fight."

"Maybe, but we did prevent another civilian from being shot." Cap pointed out and Kat frowned when she realized that he had a point. "Let's continue this conversation elsewhere."

"Agreed." Marco and Yuri nodded in agreement once Marco had spoken up before the heroes left. "I still can't believe the police where taking bets on how long it would take the thugs to surrender once they saw that Cap was with us." Marco whispered to Yuri who giggled.

"Wasn't it Captain Bennet that bet the most time?" Yuri asked with a grin as she started fixing her ponytail. "Someone just lost their Christmas Bonus to that bet."

"I hope not." Marco responded with a frown before they left the bank.

*a bit later*

The four heroes stopped by a diner following the busted bank robbery with the three teens sitting in their own booth and Cap opting to sit on his own but still within sight of them.

"Coffee please." Kat ordered as the waitress was taking their drink orders and another, clearly starstruck waitress served Cap. "Strongest one you've got."

"Coming right up." The waitress responded with a nod before turning to the others. "What about you guys?"

"I'll just have a soda." Yuri responded, and the waitress nodded before jotting down the order, Marco ordered the same thing as Yuri and the waitress jotted it down before walking off. "Okay, real talk Kat? Have you gotten any sleep since that nightmare?"

"Ask Marco, he was with me the first night." Kat responded with a yawn and Marco nodded to confirm it. "But since then? I've been suffering from insomnia and it's getting to the point where I'm worried, I'm going to doze off mid-flight."

"And if you do get to that point, better start hoping that there's a hero around to catch you." Marco responded, and Kat nodded in agreement. "But even beyond that, it can't be healthy, I've stayed up all night either gaming or studying for an exam before but that was just one night, not several in a row." Marco added, and Kat frowned in response. "I know it seems like we're nagging almost as badly as your mom does…."

"Going to stop you there, compared to mom you guys haven't been nagging me that much." Kat interrupted her boyfriend with a slight laugh. "Besides, I told you guys before, I'm not much of a gamer so it's not like I'll be doing that either."

"Kat, you may not be much of a gamer but it's easy to see that the lack of sleep is affecting your performance." Yuri pointed out with a frown before the waitress came with their drinks, Kat started drinking her coffee almost immediately whilst Marco and Yuri took their time with their drinks. "Hell, you look like your going to doze off at any second even with the coffee."

"Am not!" Kat argued before yawning and taking a sip of her coffee. "Besides, even with my lack of sleep my performance hasn't been slipping that badly."

"Do I even need to point out that a bank teller got shot during our patrol yesterday because you forgot to melt the gun?" Yuri pointed out and Kat frowned in response. "I know you want to power through it but there's only so much you can do after two days of no sleep."

"I'll be fine, just give me a week's worth of Red Bull and I'll be all set." Kat protested, and the two teens shared uneasy looks. "Besides, are we going to order food or not?" Kat asked and before the teens could answer they heard a fire engine speed by and looked up. "Well, so much for getting some rest."

"You saw that too?" Cap asked, and the teens nodded before standing up. "News Report says that the fire is at an apartment complex two blocks from here, there might be survivors."

"Say no more." Kat responded before getting her wallet out and leaving a ten dollar note on the table. "Could you tell the waitress that that's to cover our drinks?" Kat asked as she and the other teens quickly finished their drinks.

"Will do, I'll meet you there." Cap responded, and the teens nodded before they left the diner. _"It's just a fire, I doubt Katrina's insomnia will do much damage."_ Cap thought as he sat back down.

*later*

The three heroes arrived on the scene of the fire and quickly got to work with Yuri using her wind powers to help fight the fire whilst Marco searched the lower floors for survivors, as for Kat, well she was in the same situation as she was the day after she got her wings.

" _Another day, another five kids to save from a fire."_ Kat thought as she climbed over the burning rubble, the halls of the apartment complex where too narrow for her to fly through with her wings out leaving her to resort to her talent for athletics to get her through the building. _"I may have been a high school athlete but that should still be enough."_

"Katrina, it's Cap." Cap's voice rang out and she put a hand to her earpiece. "What's the situation?"

"I'm nearing the apartment the mother specified, should be out in a couple of minutes." Kat responded before yawning. "If you hear me snoring send Yuri up."

"Won't be a problem Kat." The Japanese girl's voice rang out and Kat grinned in response. "Besides, a girl who can breathe fire dying in a house fire is like, the mother of all ironic deaths."

"Try not to jinx that." Kat sighed before hanging up and looking around. _"Apartment thirty, yep, this is the one."_ Kat thought before taking a step back and tackling the door, with her Super Strength it easily came off it's hinges and Kat nearly went down with it before steadying herself. _"Had these powers for over a month and I still don't know my own strength, still I've got a job to do."_ Kat thought before glancing around the one bedroom apartment, her eyes rested upon the closet which she remembered being the hiding place for the kids she saved from a fire previously. "Kids, are you in there?" Kat called out but got no answer, Kat shook her head before going over to the closet and opening it.

What she saw inside that closet would be a memory that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Katrina, do you copy?" Cap asked but Kat remained silent as her eyes went as wide as dinner plates and her skin went pale, the five kids were in the closet, or rather what remained of them as the fire had claimed their lives, their bodies were huddled together but Kat honestly couldn't tell one from the other as the intense heat had blackened their skin.

" _No, no…..."_ Kat's thoughts trailed off before she ran straight for the open window and flew through it, she saw Yuri, Cap and Marco waiting for her on the rooftop and landed next to them but rather than talk to them she took off her mask and doubled over.

"Kat, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Marco asked as Kat took several deep breaths, seconds later she felt the contents of her stomach coming up and braced herself. "Where are the kids…." Marco trailed off as he watched her vomit all over the roof, it didn't take long for the other heroes to realize what had happened and once Kat had finished vomiting and slumped down into a fetal position. "Oh my god."

"I couldn't save them…..." Kat said as she felt the tears running down her face. "I failed." Kat added before sobbing openly at which point Cap put a hand on her shoulder.

"Katrina, take the rest of the night off." Cap told her, and she looked up. "I'll have Ehsan come in and fill your place, but you've seen enough for one night." Cap added, and Kat would normally argue but she knew that she was in no shape to continue as she got to her feet. "Don't worry about the mother, I'll deliver the news personally."

"Can you at least tell her that I'm deeply sorry for failing her?" Kat asked, and Cap hesitated before nodding.

"Err, Cap, I want to go with her." Marco chimed in and Cap looked up. "I'm her boyfriend after all, she'll need my support as well."

"Understood Marco." Cap nodded in understanding before the two teens flew off.

*later at Kat's home*

Kat and Marco returned to her home and Marco gave his girlfriend some privacy as she got changed into her day clothes, once that was done, they entered through the restaurant knowing that Lin was about to start dinner service.

"Don't worry Lin, this dinner service will go off without a hitch!" The sous chef, a kindly man in his early fifties with short greying hair and a matching moustache wearing sunglasses, said as he walked up to Lin. "Go forth true believers, excelsior!"

"I'm sure it will Stanley." Lin nodded in response before looking up and seeing Kat and Marco. "Kat? I wasn't expecting you until after dinner…..." Lin trailed off before seeing the look on her daughter's face and quickly turned to the Sous Chef. "Start without me, I have to see to my daughter."

"Off course." Stanley nodded before going into the restaurant kitchen, Lin motioned for the two teens to follow her and they did so, following her into the lounge where Lin sat down on the couch.

"I told you before that you can tell me anything Katrina." Lin explained as Kat sat down next to her and Marco sat down on a chair. "What happened?"

"We were eating at a diner when we saw some fire engines speed by, news report said there was a fire at an apartment complex." Kat responded before shuddering. "I flew up to the top floor to save some kids like I did the day after I got my wings but when I got there…" Kat trailed off before sobbing. "I couldn't save them, I was too late…..."

"There, there Katrina, I'm sure you did everything you could." Lin assured her daughter and Kat took a deep breath before nodding. "Where were you Marco?"

"I was on the lower floors saving civilians." Marco responded before sighing. "I volunteered to go up in Kat's place remembering her near death experience from last time, but she insisted."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, I wouldn't wish such a horrible site on anyone." Lin responded, and Marco nodded in understanding. "I have a restaurant to run but if you need to talk in more detail, you know where to find me."

"Sure." Kat responded with a nod before Lin walked off, once they were alone Kat looked up at Marco. "As if my insomnia wasn't bad enough already."

"I don't think I'd be able to blame you to staying up all night after that." Marco nodded in agreement and Kat sighed in response. "Still, if you need any help getting to sleep, I'll be happy to oblige."

"I hope you're not suggesting that we have sex." Kat responded with an annoyed look on her face. "As good as you were the other night, seeing those kids' corpses like that? I don't even know if I want to use the fire breath again."

"Because you've seen what happens when someone gets burned to death?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded with a shudder. "Kat, you've only been using the fire breath on weapons, granted you did threaten to set someone on fire twice but still."

"Remember the day we first got our powers?" Kat asked, and Marco hesitated before nodding. "The fire breath was the first power I discovered, I accidentally used it to set a thug's jacket on fire as he was holding a knife to my throat."

"Yeah but in your defense, you didn't know you could do that at the time." Marco pointed out as he leaned back in his chair. "Besides, if it weren't for the fire breath…well, you know."

"I would've been gang raped and left for dead, trust me, I know." Kat responded with a shudder before glancing up at the clock. "It's dinner time and I need something to take my mind off of what I saw back there." Kat added before she stood up and walked into the kitchen. "What do you say to a meal together? I'll cook it."

"I'll help." Marco responded, and Kat gave him an uneasy look. "I've been getting cooking lessons like you did when your mom was in hospital, I haven't burnt down any houses and HAZMAT hasn't been called yet."

"Yet being the operative word." Kat responded as she rolled her eyes. "Fine but I'm not letting you out of my site, I don't want to explain to mom how dinner service had to be ended early because you set the house kitchen on fire."

"I guess that's fair." Marco nodded in understanding before following Kat into the kitchen.

*the next day*

Marco left for home after dinner and Kat tried to continue the rest of the day as normal, however she couldn't get the mental image out of her head and that only made her insomnia even worse, if that was possible.

It was now early in the morning and Yuri had landed in the side alley where deliveries were made, after she made sure to get changed out of her Superhero outfit and into her day clothes whilst letting her hair down Yuri went to the front door off the house and knocked. _"I hope Kat's feeling better after last night."_ Yuri thought as she waited for someone to answer the door, after a few seconds the door opened revealing Kat who was looking even worse. "Morning Kat, I wanted too check on you after…." Yuri trailed off after she saw the state her friend was in. "Jesus Christ! Kat, don't take this the wrong way but you look like shit!"

"Trust me, I know." Kat moaned as she rubbed her tired eyes. "You want to come in?" Kat asked, and Yuri nodded before Kat stepped aside to let the Japanese girl in. "I thought my insomnia couldn't get any worse." Kat added once Yuri was in the house and she closed the door behind her. "I couldn't even close my eyes last night!"

"Because you kept seeing those kids' bodies whenever you closed them?" Yuri asked, and Kat nodded with a frown on her face. "I know you saw your psychologist after you first had that dream but maybe paying him another visit would be worth it."

"Maybe." Kat responded with a yawn before heading to the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"Thanks, I feel like I'm going to die of dehydration." Yuri responded with a grin and Kat nodded before opening the fridge. "I don't care what you've got, I just need something to drink."

"Catch." Kat called out before tossing a can of soda at Yuri, whilst Kat was careful to not put any of her Super Strength into it the can still came faster than Yuri thought it would, but she was able to slow it down with her wind powers. "I get the feeling I know the answer already but, how did the mother take the news?"

"Not well, she basically collapsed onto the street." Yuri responded as she shook her head and Kat frowned. "Kat, I know it's easy to blame yourself, but you had no way of knowing whether they would still be alive."

"I didn't even think about flying without my wings out!" Kat grunted in annoyance as she sat down at the table in the kitchen. "If I had just flew at my regular speed…." Kat added before shaking her head. "Look at me playing the game of what if again, almost reminds me of when my dad died."

"Yeah, and I've been wishing that I had gone up to the top floor with you, using my wind powers to clear rubble." Yuri nodded in understanding. "Do you still want to go out on patrol later? I'll happily take your place on patrol if you need to take the day off."

"Appreciate it Yuri but I feel like I need to go out on patrol." Kat responded as she leaned forward. "One of the main things that helped me get over my dad's death was getting back into my old routine, if it worked then, I don't see how it can't work now."

"Except you hadn't been battling insomnia for several days straight." Yuri pointed out and Kat frowned. "At least we won't have to worry about you picking a fight with the Hulk again, I mean he escaped SHIELD custody according to Cap, but he was last seen somewhere in the mid-west."

"Even if he was still in New York, I still wouldn't pick another fight with the Hulk." Kat responded as she shook her head. "I prefer to have my wings and arm broken only once in my life thank you very much."

"I'll drink to that." Yuri grinned before taking a sip from her drink. "If your set on going out on patrol then at least let me come with you, that way I can stop your fall if you doze off mid-flight."

"Appreciate it Yuri, thanks." Kat responded with a grin on her face before standing up. "Just gotta go get my Dragon Girl costume."

"Sure." Yuri nodded in response before the Chinese girl went upstairs, Yuri finished her drink in one gulp and tossed it in the trash can before heading outside to retrieve her costume which she had left in her backpack, however on te way back she saw a car parked outside. _"Those guys know this is a loading bay, right?"_ Yuri thought before noticing the license plate. _"I wonder."_ Yuri thought before getting her phone out and taking a picture of the license plate, she sent it to Cap with the following message. _"Cap, I'm out Kat's place and I just noticed this car in the side alley her mom uses for deliveries, does the license plate look familiar?"_ Yuri read the text in her mind before hitting the send button and keeping an eye on the car until she got a reply.

"Ready when you are." Kat said as she stepped out of the door leading to the side alley in the Dragon Girl costume but frowned when she saw the car. "Yuri, that's…."

"The same car you've seen on your CCTV videos, I texted, Cap to confirm and he confirmed it." Yuri nodded in response before the car sped off. "And I think they've spotted us, you go on ahead, I still need to get changed."

"Sure, see you on the other side." Kat nodded before flying off after the car.

*later*

It didn't take long for Yuri to catch up with Kat and, despite Kat's state of mind, the two Asian girls were in hot pursuit of the car in question, however Kat eventually had to stop and rest due to her insomnia which the thugs used to get away.

"Damn it!" Kat cursed herself as she and Yuri failed to find the car again, the two girls had searched all over the city, but the car had disappeared into thin air. "Finally get a bead on those bastards and they get away!"

"I know your frustrated, but we know the license plate." Yuri responded before grinning as she produced her phone. "And I did one better." Yuri added before showing Kat her recent pictures.

"You got photos of the four thugs?!" Kat asked with a look of surprise on her face and Yuri nodded excitedly as she pocketed her phone. "How?"

"When we were flying alongside it I snapped a pic with my phone, I had a feeling you'd need to stop eventually so I figured we may as well get the pictures of the thugs to Cap." Yuri responded and Kat nodded with an annoyed sigh. "I know it's not the result you were hoping for but it's a step in the right direction."

"I know, it just frustrates me that two girls who can fly can't keep track of one car." Kat admitted as she folded her arms. "Hell, you've got control over the wind and I've seen you suspend cars with those mini tornados you create."

"Only thing with that is that, well, maintaining those things is a bitch." Yuri admitted with a frown on her face. "To put it simply, I can't keep those mini tornados up for more than a minute before I get a major headache, if I could I'd be doing them more often."

"I guess that makes sense." Kat responded before yawning. "Still as tired as I am, I'm not giving up the chase, there's got to be a place where those thugs hang out."

"If you insist, the only place I can think off is the Bar with No Name and let's face it, we are not going to be welcomed there." Yuri responded before grinning. "But that's the fun part."

"I knew you'd see things my way." Kat responded with a grin before the two girls flew off.

*later at the Bar with No Name*

It was a typical night at the New York branch of the Bar with No Name with various criminals, of the Super and regular variety, hanging out but it was about to become not so regular for the patrons.

"Oh come on darling, you know you want it." One criminal said as he and his buddies cornered a young barmaid next to a pool table. "We'll be gentle!"

"No, please!" The terrified waitress said as more thugs closed in around her. "I'll go to the police!"

"And what? Say that you were raped at the Bar with No Name? No one will believe you!" The thug responded before picking her up and throwing her onto the pool table, two other criminals quickly pinned her down as the thug licked his lips. "You were saving yourself for your boyfriend, right? Sorry to disappoint you!"

"Don't even think about it!" Kat's voice rang out and the thug turned around just in time to see Kat's boot connect with his face sending him flying and knocking him out, the other thugs looked up and saw Dragon Girl and Silent Tempest and got ready for a fight. "Give me a break guys, I know this place has a no weapons policy."

"We have a no superheroes policy as well but your ignoring that!" The bartender called out as he glared at the two young heroes. "Now get out before you cause any more trouble!"

" _Says the guy perfectly content to sit and watch as a barmaid gets gang raped on a pool table."_ Kat thought before she and Yuri flew over to him. "I'm just looking for information, give it to us and we'll be out of here before you can say "justice is served"!"

"And why should I humor you?" The bartender scoffed as he glared at the two heroes. "This is supposed to be a safe haven for criminals."

"So, here's a fun fact for you about Dragon Girl, her dad was a cop." Yuri started, and the bartender started getting nervous. "He was killed last month but she still has friends on the force, all she needs to do is make a call to the NYPD and they'll storm this place, now I'm not a betting person normally but I'm willing to bet that most of the people in here have outstanding warrants."

"And I bet they'll be extra pissed at you if you let that happen." Kat added, and the bartender gulped. "So, what will it be?"

"Fine, fine, what do you want to know?" The bartender responded, and Yuri showed him the pictures. "You're wondering if I recognize these guys?"

"Congrats, your smarter than you look." Yuri responded with a grin and the bartender nodded.

"Sure, I aint got no love for those guys anyway, the driver's Joey White, he's wanted for killing his old lady, the guy in the passanger side seat? That's Trent Addams, wanted for breaking and entering into a sororonity house where he raped three women." The bartender responded, and Kat nodded as Yuri swiped right to show him the next picture. "The guy holding the weird device is Mike Travis, his old lady went missing a year ago, but the police now consider her dead."

"Why do I get the feeling he beat her as well?" Kat wondered to herself as she heard a thug charge up behind her only to get knocked out by a backhand. "Didn't you guys hear him? He doesn't want any more trouble!"

"Your smarter than you look." The bartender responded snidely, and Kat glared at him. "The last guy is a really nasty piece of work, Tommy Vex, on parole for possession of Child Pornography."

"Yuri, if we catch that last guy, remind me to rip his balls off." Kat whispered to Yuri who nodded in agreement. "That wasn't so hard, was it." Kat asked as she and Yuri backed away from the bar. "Don't make us come back again." Kat added before the two Asian girls flew off.

"Hey boss, you were right, they showed up here." Joey whispered into his earpiece as he watched them fly off. "Couple of guys got knocked out but otherwise? They left peacefully."

"Good, keep an eye on them." The Great Phantasmo responded and Joey nodded before leaving the bar.

*outside the bar*

"Well, that was fun." Kat commented as she cracked her fingers whilst they flew away from the bar. "So what next?"

"Well, for starters, you two can explain why you were there to begin with." Wasp's voice rang out and the two girls winced as they realized that Ant-Man and the Wasp were standing on a rooftop opposite the bar. "You know that bar's off limits."

"It was my idea, we were chasing up leads." Yuri responded as they landed on the rooftop, they recounted the days events up to that point to the two heroes and once they were finished the older heroes frowned. "Yeah, I know, going in there is asking for trouble but we now have more to go on than just a license plate number and a car."

"Make sure that info goes straight to Cap and be honest about how you got it." Ant-Man responded, and Kat nodded in response. "And on that note, Kat are you sure you want to go out on patrol again after what you saw last night?"

"Getting back into my old routine helped me get over my dad's death, I don't see how it couldn't help me get over failing to save those kids." Kat responded with a shrug and the two older heroes frowned. "It's better than sitting around all day bored out of my mind."

"I guess, but there's still your insomnia to worry about, what is this? Your fifth day without sleep?" Wasp asked, and Kat went to protest but instead let out a massive yawn. "I thought so, what if you fall asleep midflight."

"That's why I'm here." Yuri responded, and the two heroes turned to her. "This way, we won't have to worry about no heroes being around to catch her and if she does get tired, I don't know if you noticed but there's a lot of coffee and doughnuts places in the city."

"Great, now your making me hungry." Ant-Man grumbled under his breath before sighing. "You girls just watch yourselves and be glad that it was us that saw you leaving that bar, never mind the fact that you are too young to drink alcohol."

"Didn't stop me before." Kat joked, and Wasp raised an eyebrow. "Long story."

"I'll take your word for it." Wasp sighed before she and Ant-Man flew off.

*that night*

Alas Kat and Yuri's efforts were for naught and the two Asian girls returned to Kat's home with Kat being more tired than ever before.

"God, I'm so tired that I feel like Red Bull wouldn't even do the trick." Kat groaned as she got changed back into her day clothes on the roof of her home, once the Dragon Girl costume was in the backpack, she turned to Yuri who was still in the Silent Tempest costume as she still needed to go home. "At this point, I feel like the only way I'm staying awake for the next few hours is to hook caffeine straight into my veins."

"And if you weren't so tired, I'd get my dad on the phone and ask him to list the reasons why that is a terrible idea." Yuri responded with a grin before Kat yawned. "Still, hope you get some sleep tonight Kat, you look exhausted."

"You and me both." Kat groaned as she ran and hand through her braided hair. "You got the info we got from the Bar with No Name to Cap right?"

"Yeah, he wasn't happy about how we got it but he understood that we were chasing up leads." Yuri responded as she began to take flight. "He also put the other trainees and heroes on the lookout for those guys, if we find them we'll give you a call."

"At least let me sleep first." Kat responded with a grin as Yuri started to fly away. "See you tomorrow Yuri."

"See you tomorrow." Yuri responded before she flew off, Kat watched the Japanese girl fly off for a few seconds before checking the time on her phone.

" _9:30, dinner service should be finishing up by now."_ Kat thought as she glanced towards the restaurant, she flew to the ground and looked around for any sign of the car. _"Off course they haven't returned, that would be too easy."_ Kat thought with a yawn before entering her home, her hung up the backpack and initially went to access the stairs to the second floor via the lounge as that was the quickest way via her entry point.

But she never made it out of the lounge as several nights of little to no sleep finally caught up with Kat causing her to plop onto the sofa and fall asleep.


	29. Sleepless in New York

When Kat opened her eyes again, she found herself in what looked like a court room but once her vision became clear she saw that it was a literal court room from hell, she glanced around and realized just how screwed she was,

" _Target's the prosecutor, Shockwave's my lawyer and Hellraiser's the lone jury man?!"_ Kat thought as she glanced around the almost comically small number of people in the court room, Target was glaring daggers at her with his arms crossed and Hellraiser was standing up in the juror's box, Shockwave on the other hand seemed to be less interested in representing her as she was pretty blatantly checking out Kat with her feet on the desk and bubblegum in her mouth however there was only one person she was not sure on. _"The judge's face is obscured but I bet I won't like him either!"_

"I understand the jury has reached a verdict?" The judge, who's voice was distorted but Kat could vaguely pick out a male Chinese Accent, said as he turned to Hellraiser.

"You bet your ass I have!" Hellraiser responded before pointing to Kat. "On the sole count of indictment, murder in the first degree, I find the defendant guilty!"

" _Murder?!"_ Kat thought before she went to stand up only to realize that she had literally been chained to her seat, she tried using her super strength to break free but sure enough it failed. _"What are these things made out off? Adamantium?!"_

"Very well." The judge said before he stood up and Kat finally saw his face, it was her father with a furious look on her face as he stood up to full height. "I sentence you to death, to be carried out ASAP by Target, Hellraiser and Shockwave!"

"But Shockwave's my…..." Kat went to protest but quickly found herself gagged as the scenery changed to her being chained to the ground, stripped down to her underwear and her legs spread apart whilst her three main villains loomed over her. _"Was I really about to say that Shockwave's my lawyer?! Man, this insomnia is affecting me worse than I thought!"_

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this Katrina." Target said as he pointed a gun at her head and Kat shut her eyes, however to her surprise Target didn't pull the trigger. "But I think my compatriots want a piece of you first."

"With pleasure!" Shockwave responded as he licked her lips and went to approach Kat. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun! Pity you've already lost your virginity to that loser boyfriend of yours!" Shockwave added as she got on top off Kat and ripped off her gag roughly, Shockwave ran a finger up Kat's torso starting from her navel and ending at her bra. "Just got to get this off and then the fun begins." Shockwave added with a grin as she started to undo Kat's bra….

"Not so fast! I said that I'll get a piece of her first!" Hellraiser interrupted her before yanking Shockwave away, she was sent flying by his strength but stopped herself mid-flight. "Don't worry, I'll leave just enough for you guys." Hellraiser added as he got on top off Kat….

*in the real world*

Kat awoke with a scream and quickly realized that she was not on her bed, rather she was on the sofa where she had started sleeping the night before but whilst she couldn't tell what time it was there was one clue that clued her in.

" _My alarm clock, dad always said that it would come in handy, but I doubt this was what he had in mind."_ Kat thought before realizing that a spare bedsheet had been laid over her, she discarded it as she started to sit up. _"At least things can't get any more awkward."_

"Good morning Katrina." Lin greeted her daughter and Kat looked up seeing Lin standing across from her with a concerned look on her face. "I knew your Superhero work was going to be difficult, but I never imagined you falling asleep on the couch."

"Yeah well, blame several days of insomnia and me chasing leads all over the city." Kat groaned as she rubbed her tired eyes. "Speaking of which, I've got patrol to get too."

"Oh no you don't." Lin said as she folded her arms. "Frankly I should've done this yesterday, but you left with Yuri before I could stop you, you are taking the day off today Katrina and it is not up for debate."

"Err, what?!" Kat asked once she was sure she had heard what her mother was saying. "Mom, I'm a Superhero, I've got crime fighting to do."

"You've also been battling insomnia for the past few days and you had that horrible experience at the apartment complex." Lin responded assertively, and Kat went to protest. "I've already spoken to Captain America and he agrees, you need the day off, the other trainees are on the trail of the thugs you and Yuri identified yesterday and they can catch you up on any progress they make tomorrow."

"But…" Kat responded before Lin literally put her foot down.

"No buts, you may be eighteen, but you are still living under my roof." Lin responded, and Kat groaned as she realized what she was about to say. "As much as I despise the cliché, my house, my rules."

"But what am I supposed to do all day?!" Kat protested as she folded her arms. "Superhero Work was the only thing keeping me from getting bored out of my mind."

"You managed just fine before you got your powers, you'll manage just fine now." Lin responded, and Kat lowered her head in defeat. "Come, I've made a start on breakfast and I do want to see what you learnt whilst I was in hospital."

"Yeah, sure." Kat groaned as she stood up and followed her mom into the kitchen. _"Not sure what's worse, this or when I got grounded last month."_

*later elsewhere in the city*

Following breakfast Kat had mostly stayed in her room and when she wasn't in her room, she was watching TV or working out, as for the other heroes.

"So Marco, any idea when Kat's joining us on patrol?" Ehsan asked as he and Yuri turned to Marco, they were scheduled for patrol that day but had left before Cap could update them and they were currently on a rooftop in Queens which was the agreed meeting point. "It has been a couple of hours."

"Yeah, tomorrow." Marco responded as he shook his head. "The good news is Kat finally got some sleep, the bad news is that she fell asleep on the couch and because of that Kat's mom insisted that she take the day off."

"Good thing I'm here then." Yuri responded as she got her phone out. "I was with Kat on her chasing up leads hunt yesterday, so I should be able to help."

"Good, we're looking for Joey White, Trent Addams, Mike Travis and Tommy Vex, all of them are career criminals and their crimes include violence against women, or in the case of Tommy, Child Porn." Marco responded with a disgusted look on his face. "Why would The Great Phantasmo associate himself with those scumbags?"

"We can ask him after we catch him, but not before we beat the crap out of him for putting Kat through hell." Ehsan responded with a frown as he folded his arms. "Do we have any leads? Like loved ones or the like?"

"Joey and Mike are both wanted for killing their wives, Trent's family disowned him after he raped several soronity girls and the same goes for Tommy." Marco responded with a frown on his face. "Tommy is on parole for his Child Porn case so I'm having a friend at NYPD put us in contact with his parole officer, not much but it's a start." Marco added before remembering something. "Based on what Cap could find out about Tommy, he tends to go back and forth between the upper east and west sides. Likely by subway."

"No fixed address? I thought that parolees had to give one as a condition of their parole?" Yuri asked, and Marco shook his head. "In that case, I propose we split up." Yuri suggested before motioning to herself and Ehsan. "Me and Earthshaker will cover the upper east side, you cover the upper west side?"

"Sure, I'll see if any older heroes are in the area as well." Marco nodded before getting a text and checking it. "Kat may have been forced into a day off, but she's been busy, she saw the car again outside the restaurant on the CCTV."

"Suppose it's too much to ask for her to have seen it this morning, right?" Ehsan asked, and Marco nodded.

"Pretty sure that if she had she would've given case." Marco responded before he and Ehsan hopped on their gliders. "Finding Tommy might be our best chance of giving Kat some rest and bringing the rest of The Great Phantasmo's thugs to justice, let's go." Marco added before the three teens flew off.

*later, on the Upper East Side*

Ehsan and Yuri flew around the Upper East Side for the past twenty minutes or so before finally stopping for a break atop a department store, once Ehsan had put his glider away Yuri sat down on the roof's edge.

"I'll tell you one thing, if you had told me last month that I'd actually be using my powers as a Superhero, I'd probably laugh in your face." Yuri admitted with a slight chuckle as she glanced up at her significantly taller male companion. "You wouldn't believe the amount of times my parents turned away the X-Men because they didn't want that kind of life for me."

"Oh really?" Ehsan asked with a raised eyebrow before the two heroes took off their masks. "What did they have planned? I know you mentioned a few times that your dad's a doctor."

"It was either become a doctor or pursue the culinary arts, they gave me a choice of what I wanted to do as a career when I turned eighteen." Yuri responded with a shrug before grinning. "I eventually went with Culinary Arts, don't get me wrong, dad's job makes a lot of money, but I was turned off of it when he described medical school as one of the hardest things he's ever done, good thing for Kat that mom started teaching me how to cook in preparation for it."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Ehsan nodded before sighing. "After my dad died in Syria, I pretty much became the man of the house which involved me learning how to cook." Ehsan explained before grinning. "So, you still plan on doing culinary arts?"

"Well, as much as I'd love to do Superhero work as a living, I can't so yeah, that's still the plan." Yuri nodded in response. "Speaking of Kat, she told me the other day that she's planning on doing the same thing so who knows? Maybe we'll go to the same college?"

"And if the feud between your country's respective cuisines wasn't intense before, it will be when that happens." Ehsan responded with a grin getting a laugh out of Yuri. "Come to think of it, I never told you guys how I got my powers."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Yuri nodded in response as she turned to Ehsan. "I always assumed that you were a mutant like me, Kat, Marco and the Mexican Twins."

"Well, you are right." Ehsan admitted as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's hard to explain but I've had these powers since birth."

"Birth?" Yuri asked with a raised eyebrow, "Dad said that usually happens when one or both parents have powers of their own, mutants or otherwise."

"That's the weird part, mom told me that dad never exhibited any powers and I think if mom had any powers I would've noticed by now." Ehsan responded with a shrug and Yuri gave him a curious look. "Cap thinks that it might be magical in nature and I have been meaning to go see Dr. Strange about it but I've been busy."

"Considering he's the Sorcerer Supreme and all, I wouldn't be surprised if he's busy most of the time," Yuri shrugged her shoulders before standing up. "Ehsan, you mind if we talk without the earpieces on?"

"Err, sure." Ehsan responded before they turned off their earpieces. "What's up?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a few weeks now, just haven't found the right way to say it." Yuri responded before taking a deep breath. "Ever since we met, I've had a crush on you, I initially just dismissed it as me crushing on a handsome boy but as time went on and we spent more time together, it's kinda grown some a bit of a crush to a huge one." Yuri admitted taking Ehsan back. "I admitted as much to my mom over the weekend and she told me that I should be upfront with my feelings, I just didn't want to do it in front of everyone."

"Is that why you suggested that we team together?" Ehsan asked, and Yuri nodded. "Man, I was not expecting this today."

"I know it's out of the blue and all, and knowing my luck you probably have a girlfriend already, but I just want to know, do you feel the same way? Or should I look somewhere…." Yuri responded before Ehsan picked her up be her legs and planted a kiss on her lips, the Japanese girl was surprised at first but quickly returned the kiss which lasted a few minutes before they broke it off. "I take that as a yes?" Yuri asked with a big grin on her face.

"Honestly? I've pretty much been the same way." Ehsan admitted, and Yuri grinned broadly. "Not sure how mom will react, she'd prefer it if I dated another Syrian person but…." Ehsan trailed off as they felt their phones going off. "That's probably Marco."

"He has great timing, doesn't he?" Yuri responded as she shook her head before Ehsan let go off her and she grabbed her phone before answering. "This had better be good Marco."

"Tommy Vex was just spotted lurking around a kindergarten in the Upper West Side." Marco explained, and the two teens expressions darkened. "Hasn't done anything yet but just by being near there he's violating his parole ten ways from Sunday, NYPD are on the way, but I figured we can have a quick chat with him to figure out what The Great Phantasmo's next move is."

"Good call, we're on the way now." Ehsan responded before he got his glider out. "Are you near the place?"

"On a rooftop nearby, that British trainee with weird powers alerted me." Marco responded, and the two teens nodded. "And what did Yuri mean by "this had better be good"?"

"We'll explain when we get there, just send us the directions." Yuri responded, and Marco hung up, seconds later they got a text with the address of the school and put their masks on before they flew off. "Kat said that she wanted to rip this guys' balls off if we ever caught him." Yuri commented as they flew away.

"Not something I normally wish on a fellow man but definitely deserved in this case." Ehsan responded with a wince. "I could always crush his junk with a rock."

"And I'm being reminded of why it's a good thing Cap isn't listening in." Yuri realized before they turned their earpieces back on and flew away.

*later, on the Upper West Side*

"Come on, just a couple more minutes!" Tommy muttered under his breath as he watched the kindergarten through a pair of binoculars from a nearby alley. "Then the fun starts."

"Excuse me sir." Yuri's voice rang out as the three teens landed behind him. "Are you supposed to be here?"

"I have a right to be here just as much as you do, lady!" Tommy responded dismissively without even bothering to turn around.

"I think your parole officer disagrees with you Tommy." Marco responded, and Tommy froze before spinning around and seeing the three heroes behind him. "Don't bother running, the NYPD are on their way, but we need to chat." Marco added and, almost like clockwork, Tommy started running towards the school. "Yuri?"

"On it." Yuri nodded before suspending Tommy with a mini tornado before he could get any closer to the school. "Didn't you hear my friend? He said don't bother running."

"Go to hell you Jap!" Tommy spat at her only to get punched in the stomach by Ehsan. "You can't do this! I have rights!"

"And those kids have a right to not have a guy on the Sex Offender registry hang around their school." Ehsan responded before picking up Tommy by his collar. "We need info, if you don't give it, you'll be sorry."

"And you can start by answering my question." Marco added as Yuri dismissed the tornado. "Why are you and your buddies hanging around Katrina Sheng Lao's home?"

"Who?" Tommy asked before remembering something. "Oh, you mean Dragon Girl? We were paid to do that."

"By who? And how do you know Katrina's Dragon Girl?" Yuri asked as she folded her arms. _"She may have used her powers out of costume at first but most of New York has forgotten about that incident."_ Yuri thought before motioning to Ehsan. "Don't make Earthshaker punch you again."

"You really wanna know? It's the Great Phantasmo, he's a telepath." Tommy responded, and the three teens frowned. "We normally know better than too mess with Superheroes but the guy's paying us a boatload of money! I haven't seen that much money since I got busted!"

"I wonder whose fault that is." Marco muttered under his breath sarcastically before they heard the sirens approaching. "Where are the rest of the Great Phantasmo's gang? And what's his end game beyond breaking Dragon Girl?"

"Well, it's not like I was going to participate, way to old for me." Tommy muttered under his breath and Marco growled. "He's basically planning to kidnap her and turn her into a living, breathing sex doll for the boys! I only signed up for the money, I swear."

"Do you have any idea how much I'd give for five minutes alone with you?!" Marco demanded before the cop car pulled up. "Last chance before we hand you over to the police."

"The rest of the guys are in Chinatown; the plan is to kidnap Dragon Girl tonight!" Tommy responded and whilst they couldn't see each other's faces, the three teens knew that a sense of dread had washed over them. "Better hurry if you want to save your friend, he should be executing his plan any minute now!"

"Your lucky that we have to leave." Ehsan responded before letting go off Tommy and letting him drop in front of the police. "Enjoy going back to jail, I doubt you'll get parole next time." Ehsan added before the three teens flew off. "Cap, please tell me you were listening in?"

"I wish I wasn't." Cap responded with a sense of dread in his voice. "Hawkeye and Spider-Man are on their way to give you back up, I've tried contacting Katrina, but I guess she's turned off her earpiece due to it being her day off, Marco, have you tried calling her?"

"She did text me to confirm that the car the Great Phantasmo's thugs have been using is in the area earlier, I guess it's worth a shot." Marco responded before getting his phone out.

*meanwhile in Chinatown*

It was the early evening by the time Yuri and Ehsan arrived in the Upper West Side but in Kat's home it was business as usual, or at least it would be if the Chinese teenager had never gotten her powers.

" _So much for me managing just fine."_ Kat thought with an annoyed sigh as she scrolled through her Facebook feed on her phone whilst laying facedown on her bed, she had just finished dinner but now that dinner service had started Lin had left her home alone in the house. _"Maybe I should ask Yuri to teach me how to play video games next time I see her? At least then I'd have something to do on my next day off!"_ Kat thought before glancing at the Dragon Girl costume that was sitting on her desk chair. _"You know what? Screw it, I'm going out on patrol, I'll be done long before dinner service is over, and mom won't even know that I'm gone."_ Kat thought before she started getting changed into the Dragon Girl costume.

Once she had gotten changed Kat tossed the phone into the backpack and flew out the window, once she was outside her home Kat extended her wings out so that she could cover more ground. "Help! Help!" A frightened woman's voice rang out and Kat glanced around.

" _That back alley, you'd think muggers and rapists would pick less obvious places to commit their crimes."_ Kat thought once she had located the source of the woman's screams and landed atop a rooftop that overlooked the alley. _"Five big, muscular guys, one helpless woman, yeah if mugging her is the only thing on their mind then I'm eating my laptop."_ Kat thought before flying into the alley.

"I've given you all I've got." The woman pleaded as she tripped over her own feet and landed on her rear end whilst the five men closed in around her. "Please, just leave me alone!"

"Not everything darling…..." The lead thug never finished his sentence as Kat sent him flying with a kick to the head knocking him out.

"Don't you guys know that no means no?" Kat asked before two of the men tried to tackle her only for Kat to jump right over them, Kat landed with her back to the woman as she got back to her feet. "Stay behind me, I'll keep you safe." Kat instructed the woman as she glanced over her shoulder at her briefly before turning her attention back to the thugs.

"But who will keep you safe from me?" The woman asked and before Kat could answer she grabbed her from behind and put a Chloroform soaked rag over her mouth, Kat was able to break free of the woman's grasp, but it was too late as she quickly passed out from the chloroform. "There, I did what you asked, now where's my payment?" The woman asked as two of the thugs picked up Kat.

"You'll get it once the Great Phantasmo is done with Dragon Girl, not before." The thug responded before carrying Kat's unconscious body into a waiting van not noticing Kat's phone falling out of her pocket as they did.

And as the van sped off, Kat's ringtone played as Marco tried to call her.


	30. No Sleep till Chinatown

It had been twenty minutes since Kat's abduction and Marco had since stopped trying to call her on the phone, that didn't stop the investigation however.

" _Hmmm, interesting."_ A figure thought as he floated down into the alley, he was clad in a black trenchoat and a bodysuit underneath and had a freaky looking mask covering his face. _"Not often that you see an iPhone dropped into an alley like this."_ The figure thought before picking up Kat's iPhone, before he could do much with it the phone started ringing and he answered it. "Hello?"

"What have you done with Kat you scumbag?!" Marco demanded over the phone and the figure winced at his tone of voice. "I swear, when I get my hands on you…."

"Marco, right? Otherwise known as Mental Boy?" The figure asked, and Marco paused. "Look, I found Katrina's iPhone in a back alley, I'll send you the location."

"Okay, and who are you exactly?" Marco asked with a confused tone of voice and the figure shook his head.

"They call me Dreamweaver, or that weird British kid with the weirder powers, take your pick." Dreamweaver responded, and Marco breathed a sigh of relief. "I was the one who alerted you about Vex so how about you come over and we have a nice, little chat?"

"Keep the phone on, I'm going to see if we can find you using the noise it's making." Marco responded, and Dreamweaver nodded before he leaned against the wall, seconds later Marco arrived on the scene with Yuri and Ehsan. "I knew Cap had recruited a British guy recently, but I wasn't expecting a Matrix rip-off."

"Quaint." Dreamweaver responded before he used his telepathy to levitate the phone over to Marco. "Let me make one thing clear, by the time I arrived in Chinatown Kat was no where to be seen, haven't tried her home yet."

"If her phone's out here, that means she snuck out." Yuri reasoned before she turned to Dreamweaver. "So, your telling us your name or what?"

"I suppose that's fair." Dreamweaver responded before taking his mask off revealing that he had shoulder length black hair, brown eyes and multiple piercings on his face. "Names Travis Puleson, as for my powers, it's complicated."

"Your talking to two people straight out of Avatar: The Last Airbender and a guy who can project forcefields with his mind, what's so complicated?" Marco pointed out and Travis shook his head.

"I can enter peoples dreams through my telepathy." Travis explained, and the three teens shared a look. "If Kat's insomnia had continued, I would've volunteered my services to sleep with her…...no, wait, let me rephrase that…" Travis trailed off when he saw the look Marco was giving him. "Look, I can only enter a person's dream if I'm asleep as well, otherwise I could enter a person's dream if they're on some remote desert island or in the middle of Antarctica, basically part of the reason Cap recruited me was to help Kat with her sleep troubles."

"How convenient." Marco said as he folded his arms. "We don't even know where those scumbags took Kat, so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them."

"Well, searching for clues would be a good start." Travis responded before putting his mask on. "Dragon Girl was last sighted in this area, so this is as good a place as any to start looking."

"And the fact that you found her phone helps as well." Ehsan nodded before looking around. "If I remember correctly from the week, we spent helping Kat with her cooking, this leads out onto Gramacy."

"And there's no one around, meaning could be anywhere." Ehsan responded with a frown before thinking for a moment. "Okay, Marco tried calling her twenty minutes ago so that narrow things down, it's not like you can get to the other side of New York in twenty minutes, not even whilst flying."

"And those guys definitely weren't flying." Travis responded earning curious looks from the other teens. "Tire treads leading out of the alley, judging by the shape and size, I'd say we're dealing with a van, likely a stolen one." Travis added as he pointed to the to tire treads.

"You can tell that just by looking at tire treads?" Marco asked with a frown and Travis nodded.

"My dad's a car mechanic and I've been a car enthusiast for the longest time." Travis explained before they heard someone muttering to themselves. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, likely nothing but might be worth a look." Yuri nodded in response before the teens followed the sound of the woman's voice around the corner.

"Damn it, I knew it was too good to be true." The woman who had assisted in Kat's kidnapping muttered under her breath as they neared her. "Agree to help kidnap Dragon Girl so I can get my next fix, once that gets out every Superhero in New York will be all over me."

"Do you often admit to your part in a felony out in the open?" Travis called out to her and the woman didn't turn around.

"What's it to you?" The woman asked as she glanced over her shoulder briefly. "Why don't you…." The woman spun around upon seeing the four heroes behind her and all color drained from her face. "Oh shit!"

"Oh, shit is right." Marco responded angrily as he stepped forward. "Who's paying you for your part in Ka…. Dragon Girl's kidnapping?"

"Some guy I never heard off, called himself The Great Phantasmo or something, I don't care!" The woman responded with a frown and Marco's frown deepened. "I just needed my next fix, I figured it would be easy money…"

"Where did they take her?" Marco demanded in a low voice as his eyes narrowed. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be."

"I don't know, I was just told to meet with the guys in an alley once she was seen leaving her house." The woman responded before they heard groaning as the thug Kat had knocked out started to come too. "But he'll know, he was the leader."

"What?" The lead thug groaned before he looked up and saw the four heroes. "Son of a bitch! I'd hate to go but…...actually that's the biggest lie ever…" The thug trailed off before Yuri summoned a mini tornado under him to prevent his escape. "Give me one reason why I should rat on my boss!"

"You mean aside from going to jail for Kidnapping in the first degree?" Marco asked as he marched up to the thug. "Her dad was killed last month; do you really want to put her mother through potentially losing her daughter as well?!"

"Save the sob story! I only care about getting paid!" The thug scoffed only to get punched by Marco. "Oh, come on, I just woke up!"

"Save the sob story." Marco mocked him before grabbing him by his collar. "So, here's a fun fact for you, my glider can go at least twenty feet in the air even when it's not topped up on fuel, either you start cooperating or we continue this conversation at a high altitude."

"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" The thug surrendered with a nervous gulp and Marco let go off him. "They took her to a warehouse in the Meat Packing district, it's The Great Phantasmo's base of operations!"

"You realize that that doesn't narrowed things down, right?" Ehsan pointed out and the thug gulped. "Give us a warehouse number or Mental Boy will take you on a trip to a version of the mile high club that's not nearly as fun!"

"Okay, okay!" The thug responded as sweat rolled down his face. "Warehouse 50, it's been in disuse since the company that owned it went under during the recession, The Great Phantasmo thought that it would be a perfect hideout because no one would think to look for him there."

"Never mind the fact that abandoned warehouses are like, the ultimate bad guy cliché in terms of hideouts." Yuri responded as she rolled her eyes before Ehsan let him go. "So, what should we do with these two?"

"Leave them to us." Hawkeye's voice rang out and the four heroes looked up seeing Hawkeye and Spider-Man standing on a rooftop above the alley. "We heard everything through the earpiece, they are going away for a long time."

"Good." Marco sighed as he and Ehsan got their gliders out. "Dreamweaver, you got any ideas?"

"I won't know if Kat's asleep without being in the warehouse itself." Travis responded with a frown under his mask. "I'll go on ahead and try to infiltrate the warehouse, once I'm in position I'll give you a shout." Travis added before he flew off.

"We'd better get going." Yuri nodded in agreement before she started flying alongside her male companions. "By the way, you guys know those things can't go nearly that high, right?"

"Yeah, but he didn't need to know that." Marco responded with a shrug and Yuri frowned before flying ahead of them and stopping in front of the two boys.

"Look, I want to find Kat before it's too late as well, but you used death threats against that guy." Yuri responded as she folded her arms. "I'm no lawyer but I've seen enough Law and Order episodes to know that his confession would get tossed out in an instant, never mind what the older heroes might think of your interrogation tactics."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, right now I'm more interested in saving our friend." Marco responded, and Yuri frowned before sighing in resignation and leading the boys towards the Meat Packing district.

*meanwhile at Warehouse 50*

"Ugh, my head." Kat groaned as she started to come too, when she awoke, she found herself in a dark room with no visible light source. _"Okay, I remember that mugging victim putting something over my mouth, breaking free of her grasp and then passing out, now, where am I?"_ Kat thought as she went to sit up only to quickly realize that she was restrained. _"What the…"_

"Don't bother trying to break free Katrina." The Great Phantasmo's voice rang out over a loud speaker before the light came on, Kat quickly realized that she was naked and the only thing covering up her breasts and vagina was a metal bar that was keeping her bolted to a table. "You are restrained to that table with the strongest material I could buy, obviously adamantium and vibranium aren't available to the general public but I made do with the second best thing."

"The Great Phantasmo." Kat growled as she tried to free herself but sure enough the bars didn't budge. "Why are you doing this? Your show sold out a large theatre in New York so your obviously making money off this tour!"

"Why? Because I want too." The Great Phantasmo responded with an evil laugh before Kat noticed a weird machine above her. "My goal is to break you Katrina, after that? I'll let my associates have their fun but to do that, I need you to fall asleep one last time."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not sleepy at the moment!" Kat responded with a scoff and The Great Phantasmo chuckled.

"You will be in a moment." The Great Phantasmo responded before a strange green gas started to fill the room. "The room should be filling up with knockout gas as I speak, its pointless to resist but once you do fall asleep my Dream Manipulator will do its job!"

"I swear to god, when I get out of here, you'll be begging the cops to take you to prison!" Kat shouted before she started coughing, it didn't take long for the knockout gas to take effect as she quickly passed out and when she fell asleep the machine whirred to life.

" _Good, she's asleep already."_ Travis thought as he watched through the hacked camera system courtesy of Marco. "Marco, good news is, Kat's asleep, bad news is, unless I act fast this bastard's going to town on her mind."

"Got it, I've already alerted the NYPD and they are on their way." Marco responded, and Travis nodded. "Does it look like they've violated her yet?"

"Hard to say, the only things covering her naughty bits are the bars that are keeping her restrained but whilst The Great Phantasmo has made it clear what he plans for his men to do to Kat once he is done, he didn't mention anything about his men having their way with her whilst she was out cold." Travis responded before he made himself comfortable. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't get that far."

"Please do, Kat's mom has been calling her phone for the past hour and I'm still not sure how to tell her that her daughter's been kidnapped, never mind the other stuff." Marco responded before hanging up and Travis lay down on the roof.

" _I'll just have to hope for two things, that I'm not too late and that a pigeon doesn't poop on me."_ Travis thought as he closed his eyes., _"I had enough of that the first time around."_

*inside Kat's dream*

When Kat opened her eyes again, she had a familiar site in front of her, namely Target, Hellraiser and Shockwave were looming over her and a quick glance down showed that she was half naked like at the end of her last dream.

"Oh, come on, let me have my fun with her!" Shockwave protested as Target pulled his gun on Kat. "Do you have to kill her now?"

"Orders are orders, only when she dies in this dream, she won't wake up for some time yet." Target chuckled as he went to pull the trigger. "Welcome to hell, Katrina."

"That line is so cliché it's not even funny." Dreamweaver's voice rang out and Target looked up in time to see the Superhero kick him in the head, Target fell to the ground and shattered upon impact much to Katrina's shock.

"You'll pay for that!" Hellraiser growled before he charged at Dreamweaver who sidestepped him, and Karate chopped him in the back of the neck and much like Target that was enough to put Hellraiser down and subsequently shatter.

"I won't go down as easy as them!" Shockwave said before she took flight and produced electricity from her hands, however Dreamweaver was a lot faster than her and punched her in the stomach with a flying uppercut shattering her.

"Katrina, I assume?" Dreamweaver asked as he walked up to her and snapped his fingers, seconds later the chains shattered, and Kat was back in her costume. "Or do you prefer Dragon Girl?"

"Either one's fine." Kat responded as she rubbed her sore wrists before standing up. "Do I know you?"

"Doubt it, I joined the internship during your day off." Dreamweaver responded with a shrug before extending his hand. "Name's Dreamweaver, as the name implies, I can enter people's dreams and manipulate them."

"Is that why you were able to dispatch Target, Hellraiser and Shockwave so easily?" Kat asked, and Dreamweaver shook his head before motioning for him to follow her.

"Those were illusions, no were near as tough as the real deal, in fact I'm pretty sure Hellraiser would defeat me in one hit in real life." Dreamweaver explained, and Kat nodded as she followed him. "Look, I'm here to help you break free of The Great Phantasmo's control, but it won't be easy, he has some kind of machine keeping you asleep."

"Yeah, I saw it before he sprayed knockout gas into the room." Kat nodded before shaking his head. "He has an opportunity that many criminals would literally kill for but rather than just kill me outright he puts me in a coma for lack of better words, why?"

"I think it's because he wants to make you a sex slave for his men." Dreamweaver responded causing Kat to shudder. "Come, the only way we can break out of this dream is too find what's keeping you under its control and if it was those three villains, well, we'd be out of here by now."

"Yeah, sure." Kat nodded in agreement before following Travis. "So, I'm guessing you exist in the real world and aren't another figment of my imagination?" Kat asked, and Dreamweaver nodded as he glanced over his shoulder at her. "How do you your powers work exactly?"

"I have to be asleep at the same time as my target, to achieve that I had Marco hack into the warehouse's CCTV and watched you until you fell asleep." Dreamweaver explained as the two teens walked through Kat's dream. "And before you ask, no I didn't see where they are keeping your clothes or underwear, that'll be Yuri's job when they storm the place."

"Yeah well, if she finds one of the thugs wearing my costume, ask her to burn it and have Cap make me a new one." Kat responded with a shudder getting a chuckle out of Dreamweaver, however before they could say anything else the landscape started to change. "I'm guessing this is the Great Phantasmo's machine at work?"

"Seems to be." Dreamweaver nodded before a cage dropped on him and elevated him high in the air. "Katrina, would you mind giving me a hand."

"You got it…..." Kat trailed off before a massive black hand grabbed her from behind and dragged her into the ground.

*back in the real world*

"Won't be long now until we put Dragon Bitch in her place." Trent Addams commented with a chuckle to Joey White and Mike Travis and he smoked a cigarette, the three thugs where currently guarding the room where Kat's costume and underwear were being kept and they all had a gun on them. "Anyone know where Vex went?"

"Last I heard, that child toucher was back in prison." Joey responded as he shook his head. "Idiot got caught hanging around a kindergarten by Silent Tempest, Earthshaker and Mental Boy, hopefully they didn't get any info out of him before turning him over to the police."

"What info could they have gotten out of him?" Mike scoffed in response. "He didn't even know what warehouse we were using, Greg only hired him because he needed someone to carry that weird device."

"Did he ever explain what that thing did?" Joey asked, and Mike shrugged.

"Only that it was a portable version of the thing he's currently using on Dragon Girl." Mike responded as he shook his head. "And I'm not exactly sure what does either."

"I think he mentioned that he had it custom made by The Tinkerer, something about it being able to manipulate dreams or something." Trent responded with a shrug before the door leading into their room opened. "Only thing that matters is that once she is broken, she is ours to play…..." Trent never got to finish his sentence as he got sent flying by a strong gust of wind landing back first against the wall with enough force to knock him out.

"What the?!" Joey shouted before looking up. "Silent Tempest?!"

"I'm only going to say this twice, so think about your answer." Silent Tempest responded in a low voice as she glared at the two, much larger men. "Where is Dragon Girl's costume?"

"Like we'd tell you!" Mike said as he stood up and drew his gun on Yuri. "As a matter of fact, once we are done with Dragon Girl, your next…" Mike never finished his sentence as Yuri used her wind powers to send him crashing into the ceiling a few times before finally dropping to the floor out cold, Silent Tempest turned her attention to Joey who was scared out of his mind.

"You ever wonder why I don't use those techniques too often? Because I'm too nice." Yuri commented as she walked up to the larger man, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down so that they were face to mask. "But after the hell you put my friend through and kidnapping her? I'm through being nice, where is her costume?!"

"In there!" Joey responded as he pointed to the door they were guarding. "Here, have the keys, just let me go." Joey said before handing her the keys.

"Thank you." Yuri responded before kicking him in the balls and letting him drop to the floor. "But I'm not letting you go, not after all you've done." Yuri added before she walked over to the door and unlocked it, when she opened it, she saw Kat's costume and underwear hung haphazardly over a chair with her backpack at which point she put a hand to her earpiece. "Marco, I've found Kat's costume, underwear and backpack, better still The Great Phantasmo had White, Addams and Travis guarding them."

"The police will be glad to hear that." Marco responded as Yuri walked over to the chair. "Get the items into the backpack and meet back up with Ehsan, I've got a call to make."

"Finally getting around to telling Kat's mom?" Yuri asked as she started packing everything into the backpack.

"Yeah, I'll omit what they have planned for Kat, but it saves Kat from having the most awkward conversation ever with her mom." Marco responded before hanging up and Yuri loaded the clothes into the backpack.

" _Let's hope Dreamweaver can do his job in time."_ Yuri thought as she slung the backpack over her shoulder. _"Kat will probably need a months' worth of therapy after tonight if she emerges from this unbroken, otherwise? It'll take a lot longer!"_ Yuri thought before leaving the room and walking over to Joey. "Oh, and one more thing before I go, where is Dragon Girl?"

"You really think I'm dumb enough to tell you that?!" Joey said defiantly, and Yuri rolled her eyes under her mask.

"Well, you were dumb enough to kidnap a Superheroine with ties to the Avengers, not to mention hanging out with all these criminals." Yuri responded before kneeling next to him. "So, start playing nice or I'll have Thor have a chat with you, your choice."

"Okay, okay, I'll talk!" Joey responded, and Yuri grinned under her mask.

" _Off course, Thor's off in Valhalla doing something or another but he doesn't need to know that."_ Yuri thought before listening to Joey. _"Let's hope we can get to Kat in time, and that Dreamweaver can help her."_

*back in Kat's dream*

When Kat opened her eyes again it took her a moment to realize where she was, it was a small bedroom with her back to the door and she could see another Chinese Girl sitting at a desk alone.

" _Wait a minute, this is my old bedroom!"_ Kat realized once she saw her sports trophies dotted across the room, once she had a better look at the trophies it painted a clearer picture for her. _"Nothing after 2016 so this is either late 2014 or early 2015, one way to make sure."_ Kat thought as she glanced over at her younger self and walked over.

Once she saw what her younger self was doing, it all became clear as the younger Kat was in the middle of slitting her wrists. "Stupid Matt, playing me along like that!" The younger Katrina said as she continued to slit her wrists.

"No, no, you've got so much to live for!" Kat tried pledging with her younger self but quickly realized that she couldn't hear her, she then tried to grab the knife out of her hand, but her hand passed right through it. _"Typical, there's nothing I wouldn't give to go back and give my fourteen year old self a good talking too after the break up with Matt, but I can't do anything!"_ Kat thought as she ran a hand through her hair. _"At least things can't get any worse."_

"Katrina, dinner's ready!" Howard's voice rang out and the younger Kat quickly glanced up at the door but didn't say anything, the older Kat on the other hand had her attention on the door completely as she realized what memory she was reliving. "Mom made your favorite, Chicken and Dumplings."

" _I still haven't learnt that recipe, should ask mom for it before I move out."_ Kat thought before her younger self shook her head.

"I'll be down in a minute." Katrina responded before making a mistake that the older Kat quickly caught on too, she had taken her eyes of the blade for a second and that caused her to slip up and cut herself severely. "Oh god, oh god!" The younger Kat yelled out in shock and pain as she saw the blood coming out of her arm.

"Kat? What's wrong?" Howard's voice rang out and the younger Katrina span around in her desk chair just as he opened the door, however once he saw the knife and the blood coming out of her arm his expression turned into one of panic. "Oh god! Stay there!" Howard added before he rushed off.

" _I remember this all too well."_ Kat thought as she watched her younger self desperately trying to stop the blood flow. _"Dad stopped the bleeding by using a towel as a makeshift bandage until he could get me to the hospital, I can't believe I was more concerned about dinner going cold than I was about my own health…..."_

"Why didn't you stop me?" Kat's younger self asked, and Kat stopped dead in her tracks before she turned to her youngest self, it was at that moment that she realized that time had stopped still as the blood coming out of her younger self's arm had stopped in mid-air and she had turned to her. "I could die you know, aren't you a Superhero?"

"Yeah, I am." Kat responded as she lowered her head. "And I tried but my hands went right through you, look I know this is going to sound insane but I'm you." Kat added before removing her mask and showing her face to her younger self. "Four years on from this point, you'll be a Superhero, just like you always dreamed."

"Me?" Kat's younger self asked as she pointed to herself. "But what about my dreams of competing in the Olympics?"

"That's complicated…" Kat responded as she glanced toward the open doorway. "Just forget about Matt, you'll have a much better boyfriend when you grow up, Marco."

"Marco?!" The younger self asked with a skeptical look on her face. "The weird kid who caused half the two to evacuate their homes?!"

" _Now that she puts it like that, it's a miracle that my parents let me be friends with him after that incident, let alone his girlfriend."_ Kat thought before shaking her head. "He's not as weird as he seems, trust me on that, and better yet, you'll have moved to New York proper by the time you become a hero." Kat added, and the younger self was clearly taken aback by that.

"New York?! But mom and dad always said that that was too expensive." Kat's younger self responded, and Kat nodded. "How is dad doing?"

"She killed him." A new voice rang out and all color drained from Kat's face, it was the same voice from her second dream and she looked up seeing her dad standing in the doorway. "She let me die."

"No, no, I didn't!" Kat pleaded but before she could do anything else the scenery changed again this time showing the holding cells where Howard was murdered by Shaun Gibson, only Shaun was nowhere to be seen and the cells were empty, all except one that is. "Dreamweaver?!"

"And here I thought you had forgotten about me." Dreamweaver greeted her, and Kat shook her head. "Keep your head on straight, your almost out of this."

"Not a chance." Howard's voice rang out and Kat looked up to see her dad standing in front of her with a furious look on his face. "You let me die!"

"Err, Kat, can you fill me in?" Dreamweaver whispered to her and Kat sighed.

"I'll give you the details when we're in the real world." Kat responded before glancing up at her dad. "To make a long story short, that's my dad, he worked as a cop, he got shot and killed in the line of duty right in front of me and The Great Phantasmo is trying to use my guilt over not saving him against me!"

"That's enough out of you!" Howard responded before snapping his fingers and causing his daughter to be bound in chains, he then turned to Dreamweaver and snapped his fingers again this time causing chains to lash out and chain him to the far wall of the holding cell. "If you had just acted in my best interest, I would still be alive Katrina."

"I barely had any time to react, by the time I reached the holding cells you were already struggling with Shaun!" Katrina asserted before two more figures appeared in front of her, she recognized the first one as her younger self from before but the second made her blood run cold. "Mom?!"

"How could you do that to your own father?!" Lin demanded, and Kat quickly shook her head whilst mouthing "no". "He raised you, provided for you, allowed you to pursue your foolish dreams but this is how you pay him?!"

"I didn't mean too!" Kat shouted as tears ran down her face. "Do you think I wanted him to die?! I've been missing him every day since he died!"

"You killed dad!" The younger self shouted, and Kat quickly turned to her. "Some hero you turned out to be! A real hero wouldn't do that!"

"No! No!" Kat responded as she shook her head again. "I am a real hero! My dad's death was beyond my control!"

"No, it wasn't, and you aren't!" Howard responded before the two women beside him disappeared and Kat was clearly at her breaking point. "You should've killed Shaun Gibson when you had the chance."

"No, no…" Kat trailed off as her father's words sunk in and closed her eyes thinking back to a conversation she had with her dad when she was five years old, when Kat opened her eyes again, she saw that conversation playing out in between them.

"So, your job is too arrest bad guys?" Kat's five year old self asked, and Howard nodded in response as they watched on. "Wow, when I grow up, I want to be just like you daddy!"

"It is very difficult work Katrina, and dangerous for that matter." Howard's younger self responded as he put a hand on his shoulder. "You will grow up to do great things, I'm sure off it, but police work is not as glamorous as it appears on TV."

"I don't know daddy, shooting bad guys seems to make everything better on those shows." Kat responded, and Howard shook his head.

"Katrina, my parents taught me that all life is precious." Howard explained, and Kat started to stand up whilst breaking free of the chains. "I carry that through my police work, even the worst criminals are worthy of a second chance in life and I want you to carry that throughout your life."

"What's happening?!" The older Howard demanded as Kat stood up to her full height.

"You just said something that I know my dad would never say, not even in his worst moments." Katrina responded as she got into a fighting position. "YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!" Kat shouted before she launched herself at Howard and punched him with all her strength, the punch was enough to not only shatter Howard but the scenery around her and Dreamweaver leaving them in a dark void. "Was….was that it?" Kat said after several deep breaths as Dreamweaver walked up to her.

"Yes, you have broken free of the dream's hold on you." Dreamweaver responded with a nod as a light consumed them. "See you on the other side."

"You know what? Just this once, I'm not going to complain about someone stealing my catchphrase." Kat responded with a grin as the light consumed them.

*back in the real world*

"What's going on?!" The Great Phantasmo's voice started to ring out as Kat came too. "Why isn't the machine working?!"

"Hey Great Phantasmo, you wanted to break me right?" Kat asked as she ripped off the bars restraining her. "Too bad it failed!"

"What do you mean failed…..." The Great Phantasmo responded before it dawned on him. "Oh shit, get the knockout gas in there now!" The Great Phantasmo demanded and Kat waited for the gas with her arms crossed. "What do you mean "I used it all to knock her out"?!"

" _Just what I wanted to hear."_ Kat thought as the door opened and Kat instinctively got into a fighting stance.

"Kat are you in here?" Yuri asked as she poked her head in, Kat breathed a sigh of relief before quickly covering her breasts and crotch as Yuri let out a shocked gasp. "Good grief Kat, at least warn me first!"

"Sorry, I was expecting some thugs, plus I woke up this way." Kat responded sheepishly as she spotted her bag in Yuri's hand. "Please tell me the Dragon Girl costume's in there?"

"Yeah, catch…on second thought I'll just throw it into the room." Yuri responded before throwing the bag and managing to land it on the table, Yuri quickly closed the door and left Kat to get dressed. "I think you had better start working on your apology to Lin as well."

"Mom found out?" Kat asked as she put her underwear on and quickly put on her top. "How long was I out?"

"From the look of things, a few hours." Yuri responded, and Kat winced as she fit her wings into the slots and put her trousers and mask on. "I mean seriously, you were given the day off for a reason."

"I got bored and figured I'd be back before mom even noticed I was gone." Kat responded before she opened the door and, too Yuri's relief, was dressed again. "I'll think about that later, I've got a psychic to beat up."

"That we're agreed on." Yuri nodded before the two girls flew off.

*later*

"Damn it, she's free and heading this way!" The Great Phantasmo cussed as he watched Kat and Yuri flying towards his office. "Where are the guards that were guarding her room!?"

"Looking for someone?" Ehsan asked and the Great Phantasmo looked up to see Marco and Ehsan drop several unconscious guards at his feet and The Great Phantasmo gulped. "Give it up Great Phantasmo, you've lost!"

"Never!" The Great Phantasmo responded before the door to his office was kicked down and he looked over his shoulder seeing a furious Kat storming up to him. "Oh, Dragon Girl, hi, I I hope you don't take my plans for you to seriously it was just an experiment….."

"An experiment?!" Kat demanded before she picked him up by his throat and pinned him to the wall. "You deprived me of sleep for several days straight, used my dad's death against me in what little sleep I could get and then kidnap me with the intention of making me a sex slave for a group of thugs, you call that an experiment?!" Kat added as her eyes narrowed. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't snap your neck like a twig right now!"

"Because of what your father taught you." Dreamweaver's voice rang out and Kat glanced over at the British hero as he entered through an open window. "He taught you that all life is precious, remember?" Dreamweaver added, and Kat paused before letting go off The Great Phantasmo.

"Are you still conscious?" Kat asked as she kneeled next to the Great Phantasmo who groaned in response. "Good, you are likely going to jail for the rest of your life Phantasmo, but if I hear that you broke out of jail just so you could try the same thing again, well you'd better hope that The Avengers get in between me and you because that's the only thing that would stop me from finishing what I started tonight, am I clear?"

"Crystal." The Great Phantasmo wheezed out before finally passing out, Kat took several deep breaths before standing up and turning to her friends.

"I think I'd better head home." Kat sighed as she lowered her head. "I owe my mom a hell of an apology."

"If it helps, we'll escort you home." Marco offered, and Kat grinned before nodding. "Before I forget, here's your phone." Marco added, and she took the phone from him.

"2:00am, great, now I'm definitely not getting any sleep tonight." Kat groaned getting a laugh out of the others before she turned to Travis. "Dreamweaver, or whatever your real name is, thanks, I don't think I could've gotten out of that without your help."

"No problem, and just call me Travis." Dreamweaver responded with a nod before Kat potted something on the right shoulder of his trench coat. "What?"

"You were sleeping on the roof, I take it?" Kat asked, and Travis looked, sure enough there was a pigeon poop strain on his jacket and he groaned. "Don't worry, I know a great dry cleaner not far from my home, least I could do after everything you did for me."

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer." Travis responded with a grin before the five teens left the warehouse.

*twenty minutes later*

Once Kat returned home Yuri, Ehsan and Dreamweaver said their goodbyes before heading home, however Marco stayed behind for a bit longer.

"Kat, can I just do one thing before you head in?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded before he pulled her into a hug. "You had me so worried when you didn't answer my call."

"I know, and I'm sorry as well." Kat sighed before they broke the hug. "Yuri said that you told mom that I was kidnapped, you did spare some details, right?"

"You mean like "what they had planned for you"?" Marco asked, and Kat nodded. "That was the reason I didn't tell her right away, I couldn't find a way to tell her all the details without worrying her to death, so I just told you that you got kidnapped."

"Yeah, well, if there was one good thing that came from tonight, it's that I had the best night's sleep I've had all week." Kat responded with a grin before motioning to the house. "I'd better head in, see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, by the way Cap insisted that you see your psychologist in the morning regardless of what state you emerged from this experience in, just a precaution." Marco responded, and Kat nodded before she flew down to the side alley, Kat watched her boyfriend fly off on his glider before entering the home, it didn't take her long to find her mother as she was sitting on the coach in the lounge waiting for her.

"Mom, I know I shouldn't have sneaked out." Kat stated as she entered the lounge and sat down next to her. "But I figured I'd be back before dinner service was over, I know you know how that ended so I just want to say how sorry I am." Kat added as she lowered her head ad Lin put a hand on her shoulder.

"I knew it was going to be impossible for me to keep track of your every move Katrina, I do have a restaurant to run after all." Lin assured her, and Kat grinned in response. "Apology accepted, but there is one thing I realized through this ordeal."

"What's that?" Kat asked, and she motioned to the coffee table, Kat looked and saw that there was printed off adds for various apartments dotted around Manhattan. "You want me to move out?" Kat realized as she saw the adds.

"I'll still be a part of your life Katrina but I'm not getting any younger and you still have your whole life ahead of you, I'll put some of the money I got from Howard's life-insurance towards it so don't worry about paying for it." Lin responded, and Kat nodded. "You don't have to move right away, between what happened to those children and your kidnapping I know that I'll need to support you through this and I will assist in helping you move but it is time you got a place of your own."

"I understand, it's just a shock that's all." Kat responded before yawning. "I'll sleep on it, lord knows that I need some damn sleep." Kat added before she stood up. "Good night mom."

"Good night Katrina." Lin nodded before watching her daughter head up the stairs and too her room. _"She is growing up fast, before I know it she and Marco will be married with my first Grandchild on the way."_ Lin thought as she glanced up towards a hanging picture of Lin, Kat and Howard when they went on vacation to Spain two years ago. _"If only you could see you daughter now Howard."_ Lin thought before standing up and heading up after her daughter.


	31. Revelations

It was the day after Kat's kidnapping and for the first time in several nights she had gotten a good night's sleep, that didn't mean that she was completely over her insomnia however as she was still feeling the effects (though the incident with the dead children certainly didn't help) but right now that was the last thing on her mind.

"Thank you for coming in Katrina." Her psychologist greeted her as she walked into the room. "Please, take a seat, we have a lot to talk about."

"And I'll take "biggest understatement of the century" for two hundred Alex." Kat sighed as she sat down on the chair. "Oh look, the daily double."

"We both know that reference would've worked better if I had asked you a question first." The psychologist responded as he prepared his notes. "I take it you know why you're here."

"Some asshole psychic kidnapped me just because he could, not even getting into what he planned to do with me after he broke me." Kat responded with a shudder before fiddling with her hair. "And honestly? He came really close to breaking me, if his illusion hadn't slipped up…"

"Let's try not to think about that." The psychologist responded, and Kat nodded without hesitation before he checked his notes. "I have copies of the reports from Marco, Ehsan, Yuri and Travis, but I want to get your view on the event, can you start from the beginning?"

"After I was knocked out by the supposed mugging victim, which I'm sure I'll never live down, I woke up naked and restrained to a table via metal bars." Kat explained as she shifted her weight. "Probably the smartest thing The Great Phantasmo did was taunt me over loudspeaker, because if he was in the same room as me when I woke up…" Kat trailed off before sighing. "I was only let off with a warning because of the circumstances surrounding my attempted murder of that guy but I came so close to violating something my dad taught me at a young age."

"Yes, you mentioned him in our last session." The psychologist responded with a nod before thinking about something. "Are you close with your parents Katrina?"

"What kind of question is that? I'm their only child and they've supported me in my endeavors since a young age." Kat responded with a shrug before frowning. "I guess I grew closer to them after they….on second thought, maybe I shouldn't say that."

"Whatever you say in this room won't be repeated outside of my report for Captain America." The psychologist assured her, and Kat paused. "You have anything you want to say, go ahead." The psychologist added, and Kat took a deep breath.

"It happened back when I was fourteen, I had just gotten off a really nasty breakup that left me seriously depressed." Kat responded before glancing at her wrists. "Depressed enough to start cutting my wrists, one night my dad walked in just as I was cutting myself and I nicked an artery or something, either way I was soon bleeding everywhere, I was lucky that dad was able to stop the bleeding long enough for an ambulance to arrive with a towel turned into a makeshift bandage."

"I see, that must've been a scary experience." The psychologist responded with a sympathetic nod as Kat fiddled with her hair. "You grew closer to your parents after that incident?"

"Not directly, but I guess you could call it that catalyst in that respect." Kat responded before sighing. "After I was discharged from hospital, my parents sat me down for a heart-to-heart chat, only lasted an hour but it felt like it went on a lot longer." Kat responded before shifting her weight. "My parents told me that they had several tries before they finally sired me, and that each attempt before me had resulted in a miscarriage."

"Ahh." The psychologist nodded as he jotted down the notes. "Did they ever explain why?"

"Mom thought it was something that ran in her family, her mother had similar luck with her." Kat explained before she ran a hand through her hair. "After they had struck gold with me they had decided that they had enough of China, by that point my dad was convinced that staying in China was just bad luck in general, and moved to America, I've never been back to China but when I talked with the family members who came over for dad's funeral, the ones who could speak English at least, they all said that I'd love it there."

"Well, your home country does have a rich history, so I can see what they mean." The psychologist responded before noticing Kat fiddling with her hair. "Back to what we were talking about, when your parents told you that, how did you feel?"

"Well, for starters, I felt like a damn idiot for letting a boy get to me like that." Kat sighed as she continued to play with her hair. "But after that, I guess it gave me a new lese on life, knowing how much trouble my parents had with conceiving me I became determined to not throw my life away and live it to the fullest."

"That is a healthy attitude to have." The psychologist responded before noticing that Kat was continuing to play with her hair. "Am I boring you Katrina?"

"Huh?" Kat asked before grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, I just get bored extremely easily, and I do often have trouble paying attention." Kat apologized, and the psychologist raised an eyebrow. "It's been something that I've been trying to get better at."

"No need to apologize, I am here to help you however." The psychologist responded before standing up. "That should do it for our session Katrina, I believe Cap put you with Marco on patrol today?"

"Yeah, just like old times." Kat nodded before standing up and leaving the office, once the door was closed the psychologist checked his notes.

" _She seems to exhibit the classic symptoms, I should get a second opinion before I make my decision."_ The psychologist responded before he left his office.

*later*

Kat and Marco where now out on patrol and Kat was performing the best, she had been over the past few weeks, however it ended up being a quiet day on patrol which did allow the couple to take a break.

"To be honest, I'm surprised Cap didn't give me the day off." Kat admitted as she sat down opposite her boyfriend, they had gotten changed into their civilian garb and had stopped at a small Italian restaurant in the city. "After everything that happened yesterday."

"Let's be honest, any other time, you'd have been lucky to be suspended, me, Yuri and Ehsan honestly thought you were going to snap that guy's neck." Marco responded, and Kat lowered her head in shame. "Still, after everything he put you through, I can't blame you."

"I'm just glad it's over." Kat responded with a grin before the waitress came over to take their orders. "I'll have a Risotto for a starter please."

"I'll have the beer battered mushrooms for my starter." Marco added, and the waitress nodded before taking their drinks orders and walking off. "And then there's the elephant in the room."

"Mom wants to help me get a place of my own." Kat responded with a nod as she shifted her weight. "I mean, I knew it was going to happen eventually, I'm way to ambitious to live with my mom into my twenties, I just didn't think she'd do it so soon after we moved into New York." Kat added before she rested her arms on the table. "I'm still going to live in Manhattan, just a different area of the city."

"If I can be honest? Dad's been planning to do the same with me, he's aiming for a place in the Two Bridges neighborhood which is closer to Chinatown than my current place in Queens." Marco explained, and Kat nodded in response. "Come to think of it, was your mom looking at anywhere in that area?"

"Let me check, mom printed off extra copies for me." Kat responded before digging into the backpack and getting the print outs out. "Okay, there's two on the Upper West Side, one in Two Bridges and one in Queens, ironically mom picked that last place, so I could be closer to you." Kat added as she looked at the printouts. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Time to take over the world?" Marco joked getting a laugh out of Kat. "Pinkie and the Brain references never get old, anyway, you are thinking that we could use this as an excuse to move in together?"

"Basically, I mean, my mom was going to buy the apartment so that I didn't have to worry about a landlord and we would've moved in together eventually." Kat responded with a nod and Marco nodded. "That said, the first thing I'm doing after we move in is throwing my alarm clock in the trash, that thing might be a gift from dad but I'm not about to let that interrupt any more night's sleeps."

"Didn't he get that for you after you woke up at 1:00om?" Marco pointed out and Kat went to respond but couldn't find the words. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Yeah but then you'd be there to make sure I don't sleep in that late." Kat pointed out before she spotted the waitress coming over with her food. "Let's worry about that after dinner, I still need to suggest that idea to mom anyway."

"Considering how long she's known me, I'll be surprised if she says no." Marco responded with a grin before the waitress brought their food over.

*later*

Following their meal Kat and Marco had elected to walk a few blocks out of costume, before getting changed into their respective costumes, neither teen really noticed the fact that they were holding hands as they walked side by side though Kat was being careful to not crush her boyfriend's hand as she did so.

"Been so long since I walked the street out of costume." Marco mused to himself and Kat turned to him. "Guess I'm just too used to going through the city as Mental Boy."

"Yeah, same here as Dragon Girl." Kat admitted as they made their way through the crowds. "Then again, with Target, Hellraiser, Shockwave and Great Phantasmo either in prison or waiting for trial I think I can afford to take it easy for a bit."

"You've got no argument from me." Marco nodded in agreement and Kat grinned before her phone rang. _"At least until one of them thinks that breaking out of jail sounds like fun."_

"Hey Cap, what's up?" Kat asked once she answered the phone and saw who it was on the caller ID, however after Cap explained the situation her expression darkened. "What? Where? We're on our way, tell them to stay put." Kat responded before dragging Marco into a nearby alley, once she was confident that no one would see them she started throwing on the Dragon Girl costume over her day clothes. "Well, so much for taking it easy."

"Dare I ask, what do you mean?" Marco asked as his girlfriend finished putting her costume on.

"You ever heard of Screwball?" Kat asked, and Marco scratched his head in confusion. "Some YouTube celebrity who fancies herself as a Supervillain, she's taken hostages at a YouTube building with plans to blow it up if PewDiePie isn't delivered too her and killed."

"Okay, I don't like PewDiePie either but that's a little too far." Marco nodded before he started putting his costume on. "From the sounds of your conversation with Cap, someone's already on the scene?"

"Yuri and Ehsan, normally they'd go in and deal with her, especially since Screwball doesn't have any powers." Kat explained as Marco put his costume on and got the glider out. "But she's managed to rope in a few low rent Supervillains in on her scheme, Stiletto, Chemistro, Discuss and the third Cyclone."

"I thought the first three guys where still in protective custody, because of the recent Scourge killings." Marco pointed out and Kat nodded as they started to fly away.

"They were, however with Target serving more consecutive life terms then I care to count, and the organization having been broken up after his break out they were let go." Kat explained before the two teens flew off.

*across the city*

"So, just to recap." Yuri sighed as she and her significantly taller boyfriend stood atop a small café opposite the YouTube building that had been taken over. "We sat down for our first official date figuring that we'd have a quiet day after Kat's kidnapping yesterday."

"And literally just as we picked up our menus, Screwball, Cyclone, Chemistro, Discuss and Stiletto stormed the building." Ehsan responded with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Why do we need Kat and Marco again? The only one in there who's even remotely a threat is Cyclone and your powers will counteract his."

"I figured she could use the opportunity to let off some steam after everything that happened yesterday." Yuri admitted with a shrug and Ehsan shook his head. "Besides, PewDiePie's at a convention in England so it's not like he can fly in on such short notice."

"I don't know what I find harder to believe." Ehsan responded with a face-palm and Yuri grinned sheepishly. "That you subscribe to PewDiePie or that you actually tried to convince Cap to send the Quinjet to England to pick him up, never mind the fact that you wasted several minutes explaining who PewDiePie was in a total fangirl like manor."

"I swear if Cap recorded that I'm never living that down." Yuri admitted as she face-palmed before shaking her head. "But on the other hand, I think I set the record for fastest uttering of the word "no" in Avengers history."

"I don't think that's a hard record to set." Ehsan responded before holding up his phone. "But I did livestream you fangirling to my Facebook page!"

"You did what?!" Yuri demanded before getting her phone out and, much to her horror, saw the livestream on her wall. "Unless you want to sleep on the couch for a year when we eventually move in together, give me that phone now!"

"Just try!" Ehsan taunted her, and Yuri tackled him to the ground before wrestling with him to get the phone out of his hands, the two struggled for a few minutes without realizing what it looked like before Yuri grabbed the phone after somehow ending up in the 69 position on top of Ehsan.

"AHA! That livestream is getting deleted so fast that your head will spin!" Yuri exclaimed triumphantly before going through the phone.

"Okay guys, we're here." Marco said as he and Kat flew onto the rooftop and Yuri blushed furiously as it set in. "What's the situation…." Marco trailed off as they saw the scene in front of them and Ehsan and Yuri quickly got off each other. "You know what? I'm not even going to ask!"

"It's not what it looks l swear!" Yuri said frantically as she got off her boyfriend. "It started when Ehsan was filming me and…..."

"Filming you? Considering the position, we found you guys in I don't want to know what video it was!" Kat responded and Yuri face-palmed as Ehsan got back to his feet.

"Kat, even if I wanted to do that, Cap would've heard us on the earpiece." Yuri responded before shaking her head. "You know what? Screw it, there's lives at stake in there and that's more important than me fangirling over PewDiePie."

"Wow, and here I thought you had taste in gaming YouTubers." Marco responded as he rolled his eyes and Yuri scoffed.

"This coming from the Markiplier fan?" Yuri asked, and Marco shook his head before they flew into the building.

*inside the building*

"Ha-ha, BigDickDaddy69 says "Spider-Man will stop you before PewDiePie will get back from England!" LOL. like Spider-Man has time for me!" Screwball's voice rang out over the PA and the other villains groaned at the sound of her annoying voice. "Remember, if that talentless hack doesn't get here soon, I'm killing all the YouTube employees here!"

"Ugh, why did we agree to this?!" Discuss grunted in annoyance as he paced back and forth. "I'd rather be killed by the Scourge than put up with her! I don't even use YouTube that often!"

"Hey, we needed some money after we got released from protective custody." Stiletto responded and Discuss frowned. "At least Dragon Girl won't come after us!"

"You sure about that?" Kat's voice rang out as she and the others flew into the room, before Discuss and Stiletto could do anything else Yuri suspended Discuss with her wind powers and Ehsan knocked out Stiletto with a punch. "Where's the others?" Kat asked as she flew up to Discuss.

"Down there, Cyclone and Chemistro are monitoring PewDiePie's YouTube channel, Screwball is holding the manager hostage!" Discuss responded and Kat nodded before knocking him out with a punch.

"Okay, how do you guys want to do this?" Kat asked as she turned to the other teen heroes. "Screwball, Chemistro and Cyclone are hardly major threats, but Screwball is screwed up enough to go through with her plan, no pun intended."

"OMG the heroes are here to save the day!" Screwball's voice rang out and the heroes glanced at each other. "Hashtag blessed!"

"Did…did she just say hashtag out loud?!" Marco asked with a disgusted tone of voice. "That's it! I'm going after Screwball."

"You sure?" Kat asked, and Marco nodded. "Fine, I'm going with you." Kat responded before turning to Yuri and Ehsan. "You guys going to be okay handling Chemistro and Cyclone?"

"Guy with technology assisted wind powers and a guy who relies on a gun? However, will I cope!" Yuri responded with a grin before they took off. "See you on the other side!"

"THAT'S…you know what? Fuck it!" Kat grunted under her breath before she followed her boyfriend. "Everyone else keeps stealing my catchphrase anyway!"

"Just don't change it to Hashtag See You On The Other Side." Marco responded as he turned to his girlfriend. "Otherwise we'll have problems."

"Deal." Kat nodded before they flew off.

*later in the manager's office*

Whilst that was going on the livestream was still proceeding as normal for Speedball as the manager sat in his chair with his hands tied behind his back.

"Ohhh, what's this? XxxPussySlayer69Xxx says that several young Superheroes where seen entering the building." Screwball declared as she watched the stream's comments. "HAH! Whoever those zeroes are won't stop me from killing everyone in the building if PewDiePie isn't here by Sundown!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? He's in England for a convention!" The manager responded as he glared at the Supervillain. "We can't fly him in on such short notice and expect him to be here in time!"

"You keep flagging my channel with bogus ContentID and Copyright Claims, you can, and you will!" Screwball responded as she held a knife to the manager's throat. "You know what? Let's have some fun! The next big donator decides which body part I cut off! Oh, I hope he picks your genitals."

"You're insane!" The manager responded and Screwball scoffed.

"No, what's insane is the algorithm's process for demonetizing videos!" Screwball responded before turning her back on the manager, sensing an opportunity the manager started to cut himself free from the rope around his wrists. "Let's see, oh, fifty bucks for his balls? That's tempting! I hope you can pay!"

"He won't pay, you will." The "manager" responded as he pulled out a shotgun.

"Oh, like I haven't heard that before." Screwball responded as she rolled her eyes. "Look behind me? Hah, very funny chat!"

*in another part of the building*

"I knew I should've fed town!" Chemistro groaned as he collapsed to the ground alongside the unconscious Cyclone, Yuri and Ehsan stood over them with their arms crossed. "All this over a damn YouTuber!"

"Hey, that YouTuber is the best one on the platform and don't you forget it!" Yuri asserted, and Ehsan rolled his eyes under his helmet at his girlfriend's fanboying. "Now, what does Screwball want with the manager exactly?"

"What are you talking about? The manager's over there!" Chemistro responded and Yuri and Ehsan shared confused looks as he motioned to one of the hostages. "I know she dragged someone into the office, but I just thought it was someone she picked at random! Though whoever it was, was the splitting image of that guy."

"Ehsan, you don't think…..." Yuri never finished her sentence as a loud gunshot rang out from the manager's office and Yuri's head snapped up. "That came from the manager's office!"

"Silent Tempest, stay here, someone has to keep an eye on Chemistro!" Ehsan told her, and Yuri nodded before he flew off on his glider, as Ehsan neared the manager's office he met up with Kat and Marco. "I take it you heard the gunshot."

"Yeah, and w really don't like the implications." Kat responded before she flew up to the door and tried to open it, when it didn't open, she put her strength into it and the door flew open.

But by then, it was too late, Screwball lay dead on the desk with a shotgun blast to the back off her head completely shattering her helmet in the process and her killer was long gone. "I guess that's the end of that stream." Marco commented before he turned off the stream.

"Marco, look!" Kat alerted him, and Marco looked up seeing a message spelt out in Screwball's blood on the wall above the desk.

"The shadow of the Scourge is ever looming, Justice is Served, Screwball." Marco read the message out loud and scratched his head in confusion. "I thought the police had caught all the Scourge operatives after Target tried to kill you at your dad's funeral."

"So, did I, maybe it's a copycat?" Kat responded before shaking her head. "A copycat of an organization that was revived after thirty years had passed since the original killings, I'm not sure what to classify that as."

"I don't know but we'd better let Cap know." Marco responded before turning to Ehsan. "Earthshaker, call Captain Bennett and tell him to send the coroner, and that we my have a new Scourge out there."

"On it." Ehsan nodded before putting a hand to his earpiece.

*later at the training grounds*

Once the surviving villains had been rounded up and the hostages reunited with their families the four heroes returned to the training grounds for a debriefing with Cap.

"On one hand, I will congratulate you all on how well you handled the hostage situation." Cap stated once Yuri had closed the door behind her, the four heroes where now in their civilian garb as it was nearly time to go home. "But on the other hand, Screwball's death troubles me."

"If we had known that she had locked herself in that room with a Scourge agent we would've gone straight there." Kat responded with a frown as she shifted her weight. "But you know how Scourge agents operate better than any of us Cap, you brought down the first two after all."

"True, though I have to correct you on one thing Katrina, I wasn't operating as Captain America when the second Scourge was brought down." Cap responded, and Kat nodded. "It's a long story and I'm sure you don't want to be bored with the details."

"We'll take your word for it." Yuri chimed in as she glanced at Kat. "Now for the elephant in the room, namely who is this Scourge agent working for?"

"An excellent question and if I knew the answer, I'd set you four on his path." Cap responded as he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't, at least not yet, Target has been in prison since he attempted to kill Katrina at her father's funeral and Kara was put into the Witness Protection Program for her part in getting him convicted, as for any associates of Target, he hasn't exactly been forthcoming with his real identity since he got caught so I doubt he'll even speak about that."

"Marco did have a theory he was working on after I got suspended the other week." Kat chimed in and Cap turned to her. "His theory was that Target is a relative of one of the original Scourge victims but even after narrowing it down to just the original Cyclone and Mind-Wave we couldn't find anything concrete to back up that theory."

"I will admit, that has been something I've been wondering myself." Cap admitted with a nod before shaking his head. "And I'm sure you encountered the same problems I did when I asked around."

"Most of the victims where so obscure that most heroes had completely forgotten about them or had little to no info on them to begin with." Marco responded, and Cap nodded in response. "I still can't believe there was a guy called Turner D. Century."

"It gets worse, he was recently revived." Cap responded as he shook his head and the teens shared a look. "Not for long though, anyway we're getting off topic. Your task for tomorrow is investigating just who this new Scourge is."

"We tried looking for him after the police left the YouTube building, but by the time they were done he was long gone." Kat responded with a frown as she shifted her weight. "And given just how big the city is, he could be anywhere."

"I understand, which is why you'll get assistance from Pierre, Travis and the Mexican twins." Cap explained, and the four teens nodded. "That'll be all for now, Katrina your psychologist asked to see you as soon as you returned from patrol, said it was urgent."

"Didn't have any plans tonight anyway." Kat responded with a shrug before they left Cap's office, whilst the other teens returned home Kat went to her psychologist's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" His voice rang out and Kat opened the door seeing her psychologist alongside one of the other psychologists, this time a woman who looked to be in her fifties. "Ahh, Katrina, come in! We have a lot to talk about."

"Sure." Kat nodded before entering the room and sitting down again. "What's going on? I thought these sessions were supposed to be one on one."

"They are but Margaret can explain it better than I can, as your condition is her specialty." He responded, and Kat gave him a confused look. "Have you heard of ADHD?"

"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?" Kat asked, and her psychologist nodded in response. "Yeah, I heard of it, one of my classmates at my old high school had it, why do you ask?"

"Well, I looked at the notes from your session this morning and it seems that you have ADHD." Margaret responded, and Kat was clearly taken aback by this. "Or at least, a minor variant, you said that you tend to play with your hair when you're bored?"

"Yeah, and that I tend to get bored extremely easily." Kat responded with a nod once the shock wore off. "But I don't understand, even if it's minor, I haven't been all that hyper."

"Your file says that you were an athlete in high school, an accomplished one at that." Her psychologist responded, and Kat nodded. "People who suffer from ADHD often need something to focus that extra energy on, in your case it was athletics and your superhero work."

"Well, now that you say that, it does explain a lot." Kat conceded with a nod as she shifted her weight. "Have you told my mom?"

"Yes, I called her whilst you were dealing with the hostage situation, she understands what this will mean for you." Her psychologist responded with a nod and Kat grinned a bit. "This can be managed through consoling and medication, I should have a prescription ready for you in the morning."

"Thanks, can I go now? This is a lot to take in." Kat responded with a nod and her psychologist nodded before she left the room. _"First the Scourge comes back and now this? I don't know how this week could get weirder."_ Kat thought before heading home.


	32. On the Hunt

It was the day after Screwball's murder and Kat's ADHD diagnoses and the heroes that had been assigned to search for the Scourge agent hadn't wasted any time in getting to their assignments even if they didn't have much to go on.

"Trying to find one guy in a city with a population of 1.665 million people in Manhattan alone." Yuri sighed as she sat down opposite Kat in a café as the two Asian girls had decided to take a break for lunch. "Even with our powers, I'm beginning to think that we're just a little understaffed."

"Maybe but my dad managed just fine here and in Beijing and that city's even bigger." Kat pointed out before sighing. "On the other hand, dad had the assistance of other police officers in his life, we are basically working with other teenagers."

"And I'm pretty sure that's why Cap didn't put us with our boyfriends." Yuri nodded in agreement before a waitress came over and took their orders, they ordered drinks first and told the waitress to come back when they where ready to order food. "I mean yeah, Ant-Man and Wasp interrupted me and Ehsan's make-out session on a roof but aside from that we were focused on our patrol."

"I'm almost tempted to ask how far you got before they interrupted." Kat responded, and Yuri grinned sheepishly.

"Ehsan had literally just gotten my top off when they told us to get back to work, so yeah if they hadn't interrupted, I probably would've lost my virginity on that roof." Yuri admitted with a slight laugh and Kat shook her head. "Mom and dad weren't exactly thrilled when they found out but then again, Ehsan is my first boyfriend."

"You didn't have boyfriends before him?" Kat asked, and Yuri shook her head.

"Remember how I told you that my powers awakened early? I was fourteen when I got my powers." Yuri explained before she took a sip from her drink, "I did my best to keep them hidden for as long as I could but that went out the window when I accidentally used my powers on a jock, alongside the jock himself."

"That was a first story window. Right?" Kat asked with a wince and Yuri nodded causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Worst injuries he got were scraped knees from when his knees scraped against the window, he was lucky that it was a hot day and a teacher had opened the window to let some cool air in." Yuri responded before letting out an annoyed sigh. "But as far as the student body was concerned, I may as well have sent him flying through a top story window that was closed, I was already shunned because I'm Japanese-American but finding out that I was a mutant? Any friends I had quickly distanced themselves."

"They were worried that you were going to kill someone?" Kat asked, and Yuri nodded in response. "I sympathize with the first part at least our families may be from different countries, but I still endured a lot of shit because of my Chinese heritage."

"Yeah but at least you had your athletics to fall back on and gain respect through, me? I'm Asian, a computer nerd, smart and a gamer, the only way I could be more stereotypical is if I had buck teeth." Yuri responded with a annoyed sigh and Kat's frown deepened. ""My parents saw the writing on the wall and pulled me out of the school, homeschooled me for a while until I got transferred to another school, they realized too late that I'm a lot happier being homeschooled."

"That's the school where you accidentally blew a teacher out of a room, right?" Kat asked, and Yuri nodded.

"Yeah, like I said when we first met, I was miserable there, I tried to avoid talking about the incident at my older school but once people recognized me from the news, it was same shit, different school." Yuri responded before sighing. "At least at my first school I had a sympathetic principle who tried to get the teachers to help me, with mixed results but still, but as I mentioned before that school had a principle with a major hate boner for mutants and the moment he found out was the moment he started looking for any excuse to expel me, the teacher incident gave him the ammo he needed but my dad chewed him out for putting me through hell for something I couldn't help, then I got a visit from Spider-Man and the rest is history."

"At least you're a lot happier now." Kat responded, and Yuri nodded in agreement. "Did you ever get visits from the X-Men."

"Multiple times and my parents turned them away each time, they didn't want that kind of life for me and it took some serious persuasion on Peter's part for them to let me join." Yuri responded before sighing. "Sorry for being a serious downer Kat, I may be a lot happier now, but I still have some things that I'm bitter about."

"Don't worry about it." Kat responded, and Yuri nodded in appreciation. "Hell, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have a few things to vent about, my potential athletics career getting shot in the head because my body decided to sprout wings to go with my mutant powers, my would be track coach pulling me from the track team after I had outed myself on TV because he thought I'd use my powers to cheat, and that was before I got my wings, not being able to save my dad's life." Kat added with a sad sigh. "At least we can focus on saving others."

"I'll drink to that," Yuri nodded in agreement as the two girls did a toast and took a swing of their drinks. "On that subject, shouldn't we have been served by now? The café isn't that busy, especially since it's lunch time."

"Your right, it's not that busy." Kat nodded in agreement as she glanced around, aside from the two Asian girls there was an older couple seated a few tables away from them and a loan patron siting in the corner. "This place was recommended by Pierre and he described it as busy when he was here the other night."

"Would you say it's as busy as your mom's restaurant?" Yuri asked, and Kat shook her head.

"This place is a lot smaller, not even half the number of tables mom's restaurant has." Kat responded as she did a quick count of the tables she could see. "And like you said, it's not that busy, if mom got these many customers, she'd be worried but a small place like this?"

"I'm sure we'll get served soon." Yuri responded with a shrug and almost on cue the waitress returned. "We're ready to order…"

"I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave." The waitress interrupted them, and the two girls glanced up. "Your disturbing the other customers."

"What other customers?" Kat asked before she motioned around the café. "You've got three tables filled up on a weekday lunch break and your kicking us out? Does this place want to lose money?!"

"Please don't make this more difficult." The waitress whispered, and Kat's eyes narrowed. "We don't serve your kind…"

"Our kind?!" Kat demanded as she folded her arms. "And what would our kind be exactly? You had no problems serving us when we first sat down so unless you give us a good explanation we're not moving anywhere." Kat added causing the waitress to gulp.

"What she means to say is, we don't serve mutants!" A new male voice rang out and a man approached their table. "As the owner of this establishment I'm invoking my right to refuse service."

"Oh really?" Yuri asked as she stood up. "And how do you know that we're both mutants exactly?"

"One of the other waitresses over heard your conversation and I can see that freak's wings poking out from under her jacket!" The owner responded and Kat's eyes narrowed. "Now get out before I call the police on you two for disturbing the peace."

"Disturbing the peace? We're having a normal conversation!" Yuri responded before slapping a ten dollar note on the table. "Come on Kat, we're leaving, and I hope this dump goes under because of your anti-mutant policy!" Yuri added before the two Asian girls stormed off.

*a few minutes later*

"Ugh, that was such bullshit!" Yuri grunted as the two girls, having gotten changed back into their Superhero identities in an alley by the café, landed on a rooftop opposite the café. "Is it too much to ask to just eat out once without some anti-mutant asshole rearing his ugly head?"

"Well, we could always ask the X-Men for some ideas in dealing with that." Kat responded as she folded her arms. "Still, wishing the café would go under?"

"I knew that would come back to bite me." Yuri grunted as she folded her arms and sat down on an air conditioning unit. "I think next time we should just stick to eating out at your mom's restaurant, if she did have a problem with Mutants you would've moved out by now."

"True but at the same time, her restaurant's over in Chinatown and we're in mid-town, not exactly somewhere we can get too quickly even with my wings out." Kat responded before realizing something. "Come to think of it, you haven't tried my mom's food, have you."

"To be fair, the last time I spent an extended period of time at your mom's house was when she was shot by Target." Yuri pointed out and Kat winced in response. "Yeah, I know, bad memory, hell that seems to be a recurring theme with us today."

"I know, doesn't make it any worse." Kat responded before getting an idea. "How about next time we're on patrol together I'll ask mom to make us dinner? Even drag Marco and Ehsan along and make it a double date?"

"Now your speaking my language." Yuri responded with a grin before they heard a commotion coming from the café. "Either the old couple are calling that idiot out or something else is happening?"

"I'll fly down to ground level, see if I can get a better look." Kat responded before she flew down to the front of the café, however before she had time to react the loner burst out of the café with a bag full of money in one hand and a gun in another before jumping into a waiting car. "Yuri, the loner just robbed the place and is currently speeding off in a car, suspend the getaway car, I'll deal with the occupants."

"Why should I?" Yuri asked causing Kat to do a double take. "You heard what the idiot said."

"Yeah, I know, but do you really think your parents would want to know that you let a robber get away?" Kat asked giving Yuri pause.

"On it." Yuri sighed reluctantly before flying off the roof.

*meanwhile*

"Hah, that was too easy!" The loner bragged to his accomplice as they sped away from the café. "Even got the old coots to give me some money!"

"What about those Asian girls I saw storm out?" The accomplice asked as he fixed his rearview mirror to show the robber. "You get anything from them?"

"I was planning to rob them as well, but it turns out, they are mutants and the owner refused to serve them." The robber responded with a grin as he leaned back. "In other words, he just threw out two people who could've stopped me! Besides, they looked to be high school/college age, they probably only have a couple of bucks between them." The robber added before the two men jolted as the car came to a stop. "What the hell?!" The robber yelled out before the door started coming off the car.

"Sorry boys." Kat, in her Dragon Girl persona, apologized as she ripped off the door. "But I think you have something that doesn't belong too you!"

"Dragon Girl?!" The robber exclaimed before he quickly reached for his gun, Kat rolled her eyes under her mask before melting the gun with her fire breath.

" _You'd think robbers would know better than to draw a gun on me by now."_ Kat thought before grabbing the robber and letting him drop to ground level in front of the police who had stopped to help the girls apprehend the robbers, fortunately for him the car was close enough to the ground to avoid serious injury even after being suspended by Yuri's wind powers, unfortunately for him the police quickly pounced on him as soon as he hit the ground. "Don't be as dumb as your friend, it'll cost you a lot less in hospital bills!"

"I surrender!" The driver said with a gulp and Kat gave Yuri the signal to drop the car, the car dropped down to the ground and the driver was quickly arrested by the police as well.

"Hey Kat, you see the bag of money?" Yuri asked over the earpiece and Kat nodded. "Toss it here, I've got an idea."

"You realize that's evidence, right?" Kat asked with a skeptical look on her face and Yuri shook her head.

"The bag is, but not the money inside, besides we're both wearing gloves so it's not like we'll get our fingerprints on it." Yuri responded, and Kat nodded in agreement before grabbing the bag and tossing it to Yuri, she caught it and flew back to the café where the owner was pacing around outside, she dropped the bag of money at his feet and cleared her throat. "So, you still don't want to serve my kind?!"

"Are you kidding? Trouble follows you superhero types!" The owner said defiantly, and Yuri growled before landing on the ground.

"That idiot was going to rob this place with or without me and Kat in the café, but because you can't stand to serve someone who's just a little bit different you nearly lost your days earnings! Not that you were earning much in the first place." Yuri responded, and the owner stood his ground. "You know what? Fine, be a bigoted idiot! And maybe next time this place gets robbed, I won't bother stopping the criminals!" Yuri added before flying off.

*later*

Kat and Yuri ended up stopping at a hot dog stand instead and where currently enjoying their hot dogs on a roof.

"So how do you think that little incidents going to go down with the older heroes?" Kat asked once she finished her hot dog and tossed the wrapper to the side. "That wasn't exactly a good look for a hero in training."

"Neither is declining service to a paying customer for something they can't help." Yuri grunted in annoyance before she took a bite of her hot dog. "At least the food's good."

"Yeah, dad often talked about that stand when he came home from work." Kat responded with a sigh as she glanced out. "Shifting the subject before things get too depressing, any news from the other patrols on you know who?"

"They're just as stumped as we are." Yuri sighed in annoyance as she finished her hot dog. "Marco and Ehsan have only had some action in the form of a bank robbery, Claudia and Adriana ended up calling it a night because there isn't anything happening over in Harlem full stop and Pierre did the same." Yuri sighed as she tossed her wrapper aside. "I think our best bet will just be to wait for a low level Supervillain to show up and hope that they are on the Scourge wannabe's hitlist."

"So, in other words, pretty much how me and Marco dealt with them initially." Kat responded, and Yuri nodded in response not realizing that two heroes had landed behind them. "At least the incident at the café went under the radar."

"Attempted robbery of a café that saw two heroes break it up and one of them get into a shouting match with the owner." Ant-Man's voice rang out and the two girls winced before they turned around and saw Ant-Man and Wasp behind t them with frowns on their faces. "And you didn't think that would go viral, why?"

"I knew there was something I forgot." Kat winced before glancing at Yuri. "You want to tell them, or should I?"

"I should, it was me chewing the owner out." Yuri responded with a sigh before turning around. "We had stopped at the café for a lunch break and we ended up talking about the difficulties we faced as mutants, well, me more so but still, and then we learned the hard way that the owner is prejudiced against mutants and was refusing to serve us."

"Even though the police report said that there was five people in the café at the time not counting staff?" Wasp asked, and Yuri nodded. "Where were you during the robbery?"

"We stormed out before the perp could make his move, even then Kat had to persuade me to do the right thing and not let them get away with it." Yuri responded before shifting her weight. "After the perps had been arrested, I brought the money back to the café and gave the owner a piece of my mind, he was lucky that he wasn't overtly racist towards us, otherwise he would've gotten worse."

"And you would've gotten worse than a slap on the wrist." Ant-Man responded before sighing. "It's like Tony said, anything you kids do reflects back on us, for better or worse, luckily for you the video of that owner being chewed out by you is causing other mutants to come forward, he isn't getting out of this squeaky clean."

"I should hope not." Yuri sighed before the two older heroes started to fly off. "Also, why is it always you too we run into when we're on patrol together?"

"Because we generally cover the same area and pick up after yourselves before you resume your hunt." Wasp responded as she motioned to the wrappers. "I'm not expecting you to grab a bin and carry it up to a roof but still!"

"We were planning too." Kat responded before the older heroes flew off, once the two older heroes where out of sight the two girls sat back down and sighed. "So, you want to call it a day soon? I'm beginning to think we're not going to have much excitement aside from the attempted robbery at the café."

"Maybe but this is New York." Yuri responded as she glanced out towards the city. "It's known as The City that Never Sleeps for a reason, even without all the Supervillains roaming about I'm sure we'll find something to do." Yuri responded before shifting her weight awkwardly. "So, how have you been feeling since your ADHD diagnosis yesterday?"

"It was a shock for sure but looking back? It definitely explains a few of my habits." Kat responded with a nod as she glanced out at the city. "It was a bigger shock for mom, but she agreed that it made sense, and if dad was alive, I'm sure he'd agree with me."

"Yeah, I can imagine." Yuri nodded in understanding before sighing. "You know how I mentioned that I was miserable in the public school system earlier? I initially thought it was because of the bullying I was receiving but since Cap hired the psychologists after Shockwave went off the deep end? Well, for lack of a better term, it's made me question if that was all it was too it."

"What do you mean?" Kat asked before Yuri stood up to give her legs a stretch.

"Looking back, I realized that I never really felt like I belong, even before I got my mutant powers." Yuri elaborated, and Kat raised an eyebrow. "I talked to my shrink about it, but he put it down too growing pains, you know trying to find my niche in life? Except now that I've found it as Silent Tempest, I still feel like I don't belong."

"You told anyone else?" Kat asked, and Yuri sighed.

"I told my parents first, after I got expelled from my second high school, but they thought it was just a phase I was going through, then I told Ehsan after we started dating and he's wondering if there's something more too it as well." Yuri added before she sat down on the edge of the roof facing Kat. "It's hard to explain but I always felt like I was different, when I got my powers, I thought I found my answer as too why but since I met other mutants like you and Marco that feelings only intensified."

"It sounds like you had some learning difficulties, but I'm not really an expert." Kat responded as she stood up. "Maybe you should try talking to your shrink, it wouldn't hurt."

"Maybe." Yuri nodded before their phones went off, Yuri answered hers first and sure that it was Ehsan. "Hey handsome." Yuri greeted her boyfriend as she answered the call.

"Hey gorgeous, I think we've found a lead on the Scourge imposter's next move." Ehsan greeted her and Yuri nodded in response. "And by lead, I mean Mandrill is on the lose."

"Isn't that the Ape Supervillain who can emit pheromones and is basically a walking aphrodisiac?" Yuri asked before face-palming. "And did I really just ask that question?!"

"The answer to both questions is yes." Ehsan responded, and Yuri sighed. "As long as he doesn't use his powers on you or Kat, we should be fine, and he would make a prime candidate for a Scourge hit."

"We'll be over there soon to beat up the date raping monkey." Yuri responded before sighing. "And I'll add that to the list of things I never thought I'd say in my life."

"You do that, we're over on the Upper East Side, near central park." Ehsan responded before hanging up and Yuri pocketed the phone.

"Looks like this won't be as boring as we feared." Yuri responded before putting her mask on and Kat did likewise. "As for the weird things I was saying just now, I'll explain on the way." Yuri added before the two girls flew off.

*elsewhere in the city*

Whilst the heroes were tracking down the Scourge imposter it was a typical day of New York Traffic in the middle of the city, however it would quickly become less typical as a figure floated above the slowly moving cars.

"This aught to get the attention of some heroes." The figure, who was clad in a black hooded robe with a red bodysuit and mask, muttered to himself before he raised a hand. "Old, young, doesn't matter, they won't last long against me." He added before clenching his fist and pointing to a car with his free hand.

"Daddy, I'm so bored." The youngest of two children complained to his dad as the family of four drove through the city having just gotten off school. "Are we home yet?" He asked not realizing that the car was now floating.

"We will be home soon, I promise." The dad responded before a horrible crunching sound filled the air as the car closed in around them, they didn't have time to scream as they were all compacted killing them instantly as the car with crushed into a ball to the shock and horror of other drivers.

"Four people die, for a worthy cause." The figure chuckled before he flew off.

*later*

"What do you mean "you mistook Mandrill for an escaped gorilla"?!" Kat asked with an annoyed look on her face as the four heroes watched the zookeepers return the ape to Central Park Zoo. "Do you have any idea how much time we wasted on this wild goose chase?!"

"Believe me, I know." Ehsan responded with a nervous gulp as the two Asian girls gave him annoyed looks. "But I really thought it was Mandrill."

"One has aphrodisiac powers, the others an escaped gorilla." Yuri added as she shook her head. "You realize the other trainees are not letting us live this down right."

"Maybe, but we can renew our search for the Scourge imposter tomorrow." Marco responded before they got a call over their earpieces. "Mental Boy here."

"Situation came up in Midtown, and I'm not sure how to describe it." Cap responded and the four teens shared a look. "A car containing a family of four was crushed into a ball in the middle of a busy street, I don't think I need to tell you that unless the Hulk's involved, that normally doesn't happen."

"Please tell me the Hulk wasn't involved? I still have nightmares from my fight against him." Kat complained and Cap shook his head in response.

"Banner's still in SHIELD custody last I checked, anyway a figure was seen flying away from the scene after the attack, sending you a photo now." Cap responded before they got the photos on their phones.

"Doesn't look like anyone I know." Yuri commented after looking at the picture for a few minutes. "I guess it's better than arguing over why we got Mandrill mixed up with an escaped gorilla."

"I'm not even going to ask." Cap responded with an annoyed sigh. "Watch yourselves on this one, he appears dangerous and Kat's already had problems with mind related powers."

"Another thing I was trying to forget." Kat sighed before she and Yuri took flight and Ehsan and Marco got on their gliders. "See you guys on the other side." Kat added before they flew off.


End file.
